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Address: 

The  Master  Mind  Publishing  Co. 

802    SOUTH    UNION    AVENUE 
LOS  ANGELES,  GAL.,  U.S.A. 


PROSPERITY 

Through  the  Knowledge  and  Power  of  Mind 


LECTURES  AND  MENTAL 
TREATMENTS 

Delivered  in  London,  New  York,  Chicago,  San  Francisco  and  Los  Angeles 
In  the  years  between  1900  and  1913 

BY 

ANNIE  RIX  MILITZ 

AUTHOR  OF 

Christian  Lining  and  Healing,  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
Spiritual  Housekeeping,  etc. 


Thou  shall  remember  the  Lord  thy  God:  for  it  is  he 
that  giveth  thee  power  to  get  wealth. — Deut.  8:18. 


THE  MASTER  MIND  PUBLISHING  CO 

Incorporated 

802  SOUTH  UNION  AVENUE 

LOS   ANGELES,    CAL.,  U.  S.  A. 

1913 


FOREWORD 


This  hand-book  of  PROSPERITY  was  written  from 
the  basis,  that  thought  is  a  substantial  influence  in  the 
world  like  electricity,  steam,  heat  and  light.  That  man 
can  control,  direct,  transform  and  dissipate  his  thoughts 
in  the  same  way  that  he  manipulates  the  forces  that  are 
evident  to  his  five  senses. 

If  the  man  who  takes  this  book  has  studied  psy- 
chology and  metaphysics  from  this  viewpoint,  he  doubt- 
less has  had  proof  of  this  thought-power.  If  he  has 
not,  then  let  him  approach  this  book  with  a  fair  mind 
willing  to  investigate  and  not  to  judge  until  all  the  evi- 
dence is  in,  and  a  thorough  trial  has  been  given  to  the 
practices  and  applications,  recommended. 

In  many  cases,  the  simple  perusal  of  the  book  will 
be  sufficient  to  bring  about  a  marked  change  for  the 
better  in  one's  affairs. 

But  the  most  earnest  desire  of  the  Author  is,  not 
that  one  shall  be  merely  prospered  in  his  worldly  affairs 
by  this  volume,  but  that  the  little  book  shall  prove  the 
door  of  a  new  life.  And  that  the  reader  shall  go  on, 
studying  other  w.orks,  of  like  nature,  until  he  knows  all 
the  joy  and  freedom,  that  have  come  to  the  many,  who 
have  found  their  peace  and  happiness  by  living  the 
principles,  that  are  here  upheld. 

The  Author  will  always  be  glad  to  hear  from  those 
who  have  been  benefited  by  these  teachings. 

Los  Angeles,  Cal  A.  R.  M. 

Easter,  1913. 


Part  I 
Principles  and  Practice 


10  PEO&PERITY 


belongs  to  the  people  of  God.  Its  occupancy  by  the 
selfish  and  carnal  is  like  the  Hittites,  Canaanites,  etc.,  pos- 
sessing The  Promised  Land,  at  the  time  the  Israelites 
began  their  march,  under  Moses,  out  of  Egypt  to  regain 
their  own  country.  The  land  according  to  the  spiritual 
spies  (Num.  13)  was  most  desirable,  a  land  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey,  a  land  of  the  olive  and  the  vine.  This 
innocent  land  was  sweet  and  pure  and  goodly  even 
though  exploited  by  the  heathen.  So  are  worldly  riches, 
impersonal,  good,  useful,  commanding  the  world's  re- 
spect. 

Let  us  be  true  and  not  despise  that  which  shadows 
a  divine  blessing,  nor  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  lust  for 
that  which  is  not  the  real  riches,  for  "how  hardly  do 
they  that  trust  in  riches  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven !" 
a  saying  that  applies  to  the  eager,  anxious  poor,  as  well 
as  the  besotted  rich.  It  is  not  money  itself  that  is  the 
root  of  all  evil — money  is  nothing  of  itself  but  a  symbol. 
It  is  the  love  of  money  that  makes  the  terrible  trouble  in 
families  and  between  friends,  and  spoils  the  candidate 
for  spiritual  powers  and  illumination. 

The  first  step  in  prosperous  attainment  is  to  have 
the  right  attitude  of  mind  and  heart  towards  world- 
wealth.  To  see  that  prosperity  and  spirituality  must  be 
wedded  here  upon  the  earth  and  Man  must  be  the  word 
that  makes  the  marriage. 

Too  long  has  prosperity  been  looked  upon  as  ma- 
terial and  carnal,  like  the  untrue  wife  described  in  Hosea 
II.  Forgetting  the  source  of  her  riches,  "she  did  not 
know  that  I  gave  her  corn  and  wine  and  oil  and  multi- 
plied her  silver  and  gold" — a  Dame  Fortune,  the  scarlet 
woman,  fickle  and  false. 

Too  long  has  spirituality  like  an  austere  monk, 
ascetic,  condemnatory,  impractical  and  exclusive,  repudi- 
ated her  and  not  known  "whom  God  hath  joined"  man 
cannot  keep  asunder.  That  old  spirituality  is  dead — all 
hail  to  the  New,  that  does  not  put  off  the  kingdom  of 


PEOSPERITY  11 


heaven  to  a  state  after  death,  but  realizes  that,  here  and 
now,  is  the  place  and  time  for  the  riches  of  the  kingdom 
to  be  made  manifest. 

Man,  like  an  officiating  priest,  marries  these  that 
have  seemed  two,  and  even  in  opposition,  by  (1)  believ- 
ing in  their  union,  (2)  by  revealing  their  true  character. 
Prosperity  is  spiritual,  and  Spirituality  prospers. 

Prosperity  is  of  God,  like  Life,  Health  and  Strength. 
It  is  man's  privilege  to  use  these  divine  gifts  as  he  wills ; 
he  may  use  his  strength  to  knock  another  down;  he  may 
use  his  health  to  impose  his  appetites  on  others,  but  these 
uses  do  not  lessen  the  fact  that  strength  and  health  are 
the  gifts  of  God. 

Man  may  misuse  his  prosperity,  may  ascribe  it  to 
sources,  dishonest  and  selfish,  but  those  are  his  mis- 
takes— the  truth  is  still  that  that  which  is  universally 
good  in  itself  is  of  like  origin,  the  Good,  and  prosperity 
originates  with  the  All-Prosperous  One,  who  makes  all 
things  good  and  very  good  and  never  knows  failure. 

There  is  not  one  good  that  man  pursues  but,  when 
regarded  in  its  purity  and  from  the  highest  viewpoint, 
cannot  be  identified  with  God.  "I  am  the  Lord  thy  God 
which  brought  thee  out  of  the  .  .  .  house  of  bond- 
age" (Ex.  20:2).  I  am  the  Lord  your  Good  that  de- 
livered you  from  that  great  trouble,  that  saved  you  from 
that  mistake,  failure,  or  other  liability — the  evil  that 
beset  you. 

Prosperity  is  the  presence  of  God.  It  is  that  expres- 
sion of  comfort,  power,  beauty  and  freedom,  that  is 
always  associated  with  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  when- 
ever the  advent  of  the  Christ-reign  is  described,  the 
language  of  earthly  richness  is  used,  and  the  scriptures 
teem  with  heavenly  attributes  and  comparisons,  drawn 
from  the  prosperous  things  and  men  of  the  world. 

Identifying  Prosperity  with  God,  we  see  this  to  be 
the  truth  of  its  being :  that  it  is  omnipresent  and  uni- 
versal. Being  everywhere,  one  does  not  need  to  go  from 


12  PROSPERITY 


place  to  place  to  get  it.  Find  it  within.  Then  you  carry 
it  with  you — you  are  yourself  prosperity.  ,  Like  Whit- 
man you  can  say  "I  seek  not  fortune,  I  myself  am  good 
fortune."  You  find  it  in  the  business  you  have  now, 
you  fulfill  the  promise  declared  of  him  who  delights  "in 
the  law  of  the  Lord  and  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate 
day  and  night  .  .  .  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  pros- 
per."  (Ps.  1:2,  3.) 

Being  universal,  the  prosperity  that  is  one  with  God 
expresses  itself  in  everything  and  through  everyone.  It 
manifests  in  your  life  as  general  good  luck.  All  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  yield  their  best  to  you.  In  the 
vegetable  kingdom  your  plants  are  healthy,  your  crops 
are  abundant  and  not  subject  to  drought,  frost,  pest,  or 
blight ;  in  the  mineral  kingdom,  the  gold  and  silver, 
the  treasures  in  the  rocks :  diamonds,  coal  and  oil  are 
uncovered  to  you ;  in  the  animal  kingdom,  your  cattle 
increase  and  keep  in  fine  condition ;  in  the  kingdom  of 
man,  you  are  magnetic,  blessed  with  friends,  initiative, 
executive,  efficient. 

Prosperity,  seen  to  be  one  with  God,  is  not  temporal 
and  changeable.  It  is  eternal.  It  is  not  limited  in  its 
expression.  It  is  manifest  not  only  in  the  ordinary  ways 
of  the  world,  but  also  it  includes  prosperity  in  health 
and  in  strength,  in  honors  and  in  pleasures,  in  love  and 
in  ^learning. 

The  prosperity  of  the  worldly-minded  has  the  pro- 
verbial wings,  and  always  there  is  a  skeleton  at  the 
feast  of  the  unprincipled  and  ignorant  rich.  How  super- 
stitious they  are!  They  build  fine  houses  and  dare  not 
move  into  them,  because  forsooth !  rich  men  have  died 
on  being  snugly  settled  in  new  houses !  How  fearful 
they  are  of  competitors  !  How  discontent  with  the  amount 
they  have!  How  little  hold  they  have  upon  health  and 
life  and  their  loved  ones !  Riches  without  spirituality 
are  Dead  Sea  fruit.  The  substance  and  lasting  joy  of 
riches  is  knowledge  of  Truth. 


PROSPERITY  13 


Let  us  return  to  the  statement  that  spirituality  pros- 
pers one  and  consider  how  it  does  so.  First,  it  gives 
insight  into  human  character,  so  that  one  knows  with 
whom  to  associate  in  business,  what  are  the  things  that 
men  want,  how  to  please.  Second,  it  inspires  confidence 
within,  and  invites  the  confidence  of  others  in  us.  Third, 
it  increases  the  fellowship  feeling,  gives  a  lively  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  even  strangers,  making  one  magnetic. 
Fourth,  it  gives  a  clear  head,  sober  judgment,  common 
sense.  Fifth,  it  gives  poise,  and  trust  as  to  the  future. 
These  are  a  few  of  the  reasons,  others  will  be  disclosed 
as  we  pursue  the  subject. 

Good  luck  is  not  a  thing  of  chance.  It  is  not  a 
fatality,  nor  a  matter  of  our  stars  or  our  karma,  but  its 
cause  lies  in  a  law,  fulfilled  either  consciously  or  un- 
consciously, the  latter  with  most  people,  the  former  with 
the  enlightened. 

One  of  these  laws  is  Acknowledgment  of 'the  Real 
Source  of  our  fortune.  This  law  was  fulfilled  by  Abra- 
ham, who  would  not  receive  anything  from  the  king  of 
Sodom,  "even  to  a  shoelatchet  and  that  I  will  not  take 
anything  that  is  thine,  lest  thou  shouldst  say,  I  have  made 
Abram  rich"  (Gen.  14:23)  and  this  law  was  enjoined 
strictly  upon  all  the  Hebrews.  For  the  tendency  of 
the  mortal  is  to  ascribe  his  success  to  his  own  skill  or 
labor,  foresight  or  energy,  forgetting  that  even  these  are 
gifts  of  God,  and  that  they  are  being  applied  daily  by 
others,  but  without  success. 

Our  God  dwells  within  us,  our  real  I  AM.  It  is 
likewise  the  I  AM  of  everyone  else,  and  cannot  be  claimed 
by  any  mortal  ego  as  his  exclusively.  It  is  the  same  One 
in  us  today,  that  spoke  to  the  ancient  Israelites,  and  now 
gives  us  warning  of  the  way  to  be  eternally  prosperous, 
that 

"When  thou  hast  eaten  and  art  full,  then  thou  shalt 
bless  the  Lord  thy  God  for  the  good  land  which  he  hath 
given  thee. 


14  PROSPERITY 


Beware  that  thou  forget  not  the  Lord  thy  God,  in 
not  keeping  his  commandments. 

Lest  when  thou  hast  eaten  and  art  full,  and  hast 
built  goodly  houses,  and  dwelt  therein; 

And  when  thy  herds  and  thy  flocks  multiply,  and 
thy  silver  and  thy  gold  is  multiplied,  and  all  that  thou 
hast  is  multiplied ; 

Then  thine  heart  be  lifted  up  and  thou  forget  the 
Lord  thy  God, 

And  thou  say  in  thine  heart,  My  power  and  the 
might  of  mine  hand  hath  gotten  me  this  wealth. 

But  thou  shalt  remember  the  Lord  thy  God;  for  it 
is  he  that  %iveth  thee  pozver  to  ^et  wealth."  Deut.  8:10- 
14,  17,  18. 

Cultivating  an  intimate  communion  with  the  divine 
I  AM  within  us,  we  are  led  from  one  expression  of  pros- 
perity to  another,  along  a  sure  road  whose  every  step 
is  scientific  and  inspired.  This  inner  guide  is  called  the 
Holy  Spirit  by  Jesus  Christ,  again  the  Spirit  of  Truth 
and  the  Comforter.  It  is  impersonal  and  universal,  and 
yet,  its  Voice  can  be  heard  unmistakably  by  those  who 
will  not  give  it  a  personal  cast  (as  when  it  is  called 
"spirits" — what  tricks  and  folly,  and  even  outrages,  have 
been  perpetrated  in  such  delusion ! )  nor  ignore  its  great 
commandments,  given  through  the  prophets. 

This  inner  Guide  has  been  called  by  a  variety  of 
names  such  as  "something  in  me,"  "my  impression,"  in- 
tuition, business  sense  and  even  it  has  been  called  the 
''prosperity-microbe"  by  a  well  known  American  wit,  who 
says  that  he  never  could  be  rich  because  he  never  had 
had  the  "microbe."  That  once,  many  years  ago  when 
Bell,  the  telephone  inventor,  was  first  placing  his  stock 
on  the  market,  he  saw  that  it  was  a  good  investment. 
He  therefore  drew  out  all  he  had  in  the  bank — it  was 
only  $30,000 — and  was  on  his  way  to  buy  preferred  Bell 
Telephone  shares,  when  he  was  met  by  an  officious  friend, 
who  laughed  scornfully  at  his  simplicity  and  persuaded 


PROSPERITY  15 


him  to  return  with  his  money  to  the  bank.  "And  so  I 
just  escaped  being  a  multi-millionaire,  because  I  did  not 
have  the  microbe"  he  mournfully  concluded.  He  had 
it,  but  did  not  know  Its  Name  and  nature. 

A  young  Chicago  broker,  who  enjoyed  an  ephemeral 
Napoleonic  flight  among  the  bulls  and  bears  on  the 
Exchange,  was  besieged  to  give  his  secret  of  knowing 
when  and  how  much  to  buy,  and  sell,  that  was  making 
him  such  a  phenomenal  success.  He  confessed  that  it- 
was  no  exact  system  that  he  could  define,  but  impressions, 
"Something  in  me  prompts  me  to  do  it  and  it  is  irresist- 
ible !"  he  said.  But  his  power  \vas  of  short  duration, 
for  he  did  not  know  that  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
therefore  he  did  not  seek  knowledge  of  it,  so  as  to  know 
when  to  abandon  those  foolish  pawns,  which  are  nothing 
to  the  Spirit  that  chooses  the  nobler  instruments  of  men's 
hearts  and  minds,  instead  of  stocks  and  bonds.  When 
ethical  laws  are  ignored  and  crossed,  no  ordinary  illumi- 
nation can  keep  the  novice  in  spiritual  powers  from  mak- 
ing a  failure. 

It  is  possible  to  ascend  great  heights  of  success,  under 
the  tutelage  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  never  become  falsely 
entangled  with  the  moral  law,  as  witness  one  beautiful 
character,  who  was  led  to  the  discovery  of  remarkable 
mines  in  Wisconsin,  and  to  establishing  a  beautiful  home 
in  one  of  the  most  favored  spots  in  California,  where  she 
had  a  chapel  and  healed  many  sick  people.  She  heard 
the  inner  Voice  from  her  youth  and,  like  Abraham,  she 
had  been  assured  from  the  beginning,  that  if  she  were 
obedient  to  all  its  instructions,  that  great  riches  would  be 
hers  and,  like  Abraham,  when  she  became  rich  she  ac- 
knowledged the  One  Spirit,  Lord  God  of  the  whole  earth, 
as  the  Source  of  her  prosperity.  I  refer  to  Mrs.  Chyno- 
weth  of  Edenvale  near  San  Jose,  who  published  a  most 
interesting  paper  for  years,  describing  her  wonderful, 
indeed  thrilling,  and  romantic  guidance  and  protection  by 
the  Spirit. 


1 6  PROSPERITY 


Settling  it  in  one's  heart  that  the  law  which  the 
Master  gave,  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
his  righteousness  and  all  these  things  after  which  the 
nations  seek  shall  be  added"  is  sound,  scientific  counsel 
for  the  establishment  of  eternal  prosperity,  let  us  proceed 
to  fulfill  the  injunction.  And  let  us,  early  in  the  pursuit, 
strictly  regard  that  First.  So  shall  we  discover  that,  in 
a  new  sense,  shall  the  "First  be  the  Last,"  in  that,  to 
seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  truly,  we  must  make  it  our 
last  or  final  search,  and  our  only  pursuit. 

This  means  that  we  are  not  in  Truth  for  its  per- 
quisites but  for  Itself.  It  means  a  certain  indifference 
to  "the  things  added/'  even  to  a  carelessness  as  to  how 
long  they  seem  in  coming,  utter  disregard  whether  they 
ever  come — such  is  the  paradoxical  state  of  mind  of  one, 
who  knows  such  riches  inevitable. 

Meditate  daily  upon  the  pure  Being  of  God,  both 
under  the  name  of  Prosperity  and  under  all  the  other 
names,  as  one  with  Prosperity: 

GOD  IS 

1.  Prosperity.  5.  Life.  p.  Peace. 

2.  Omnipresence.  6.  Health.  10.  Purity. 
j.  Omnipotence.  7.  Love.  //.  Faith. 
4.  The  Good.  8.  Wisdom.  12.  Truth. 

ALL  ONE. 

Copy  the  above  upon  a  card,  to  be  put  in  some  con- 
venient place  for  ready  reference. 

Begin  some  definite  practices. as  follows: 

I.  Keep  a  handy  little  note-book,  to  jot  down  help- 
ful thoughts,  original  and  otherwise. 

II.  Identify  Prosperity  (1)  with  all  the  other  names 
of  God   (2)   to   (12)    not  all  at  once  but  from  time  to 
time  and  watch  what  masterful  thoughts  will  arise.    Thus 
we  reason:     Since  God  is  Prosperity    (1)    and  God   is 
Omnipresence  (2)  therefore  Prosperity  is  Omnipresence, 


PROSPERITY  17 


that  is,  prosperity  is  everywhere,  in  all  I  meet,  in  my 
business,  in  whatever  I  put  my  hand  to.  I  do  not  need 
to  move  from  place  to  place.  Yet  I  can  go  and  pros- 
perity will  follow  me.  Everything  and  everybody  pros- 
pers me. 

Since  God  is  Prosperity  ( 1 )  and  God  is  Omni- 
potence (3)  Prosperity  is  Omnipotence,  my  prosperity 
is  all-powerful,  even  though  it  seem  but  a  grain  of  mus- 
tard seed,  yet  it  can  move  mountains.  Nothing  can  keep 
it  from  me.  It  prospers  itself.  Nothing  succeeds  so  like 
success. 

Since  God  is  Prosperity  and  God  is  the  Good  (4) 
therefore  Prosperity  is  the  Good,  that  is,  in  the  Highest, 
prosperity  will  bring  me  good  only.  It  will  not  bring 
me  pride  or  folly.  It  will  not  mislead  me  or  make  me 
unspiritual.  True  prosperity  prospers  others,  being  of 
the  same  nature  as  the  one  who  makes  two  blades  of 
grass  grow  where  only  one  grew  before.  My  pros- 
perity benefits  my  neighbor — it  is  not  parasitical,  it  is 
the  presence  of  God. 

Since  God  is  Prosperity  (1)  and  God  is  Life  (5) 
Prosperity  is  Life,  that  is,  there  is  life  through  my  affairs. 
There  is  no  waiting  for  the  death  of  any  thing  or  any 
one  to  bring  me  prosperity. 

Prosperity  (1)  is  one  with  Health  (6),  that  is,  there 
is  no  exhaustion  of  vitality  and  energy  in  bringing  pros- 
perity. Prosperity  (1)  is  one  with  Love  (7).  In  the 
Highest,  universal  unchangeable  love,  not  selfishness  and 
greed,  is  the  key  to  prosperity. 

Reason  in  this  way  ad  libitum,  always  taking  each 
name  in  its  highest,  ideal  meaning.  . 

III.  Combine    Omnipresence    (2)  -with   every   one 
that  follows  from  (3)  to  (12). 

IV.  Combine  Omnipotence  (3)  with  each  that  fol- 
lows from  (4)  to  (12).    And  so  go  through  the  list. 

What  is  here  recommended  is  a  practice,  thit  has 
ever  been  given  by  spiritual  teachers  from  the  most 


18  PEOSPEEITY 


ancient  Oriental  times,  and  especially  endorsed  by  Jesus 
Christ  in  his  words  "Watch  and  pray  always,"  and  his 
direction,  "that  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  never  to 
faint." 

If  the  Orientals  thought  prayer  always  meant  a 
beseeching  and  asking  for  something,  then  Paul  would 
never  have  given  the  instruction  "Pray  without  ceasing." 
He  knew  that  it  meant  communion  with  the  omnipresent 
One,  our  Life  and  Very  Self,  and  a  communication  of  the 
vital  blessed  gifts  of  God. 

The  worldly-wise  man  who  grows  rich,  thinks  money, 
prices,  property,  ways  and  means,  devices,  night  and  day, 
for  a  prosperity  that  is  but  as  a  breath  of  wind.  The 
man  who  would  know  eternal  prosperity  thinks  God,  night 
and  day,  until  he  sees  and  knows  nought  else  but  that  one 
supreme  blissful  presence. 


II. 
The  Magic  of  Meekness. 

tl Blessed  are  the  meek:  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth/' 
— Matt.  5:5.  "Happy  are  the  dispassionate:  for  they  shall 
inherit  the  earth."  [Another  Translation]. 

When  abstinence  from  theft  in  mind  [envy  and  covet- 
ousness]  and  act  is  complete  in  the  devotee,  he  has  power  to 
obtain  all  material  wealth. "-—  Yoga  Aphorisms  ofPatanjali. 

We  have  long  been  willing  to  acknowledge  the  power- 
ful place  that  mind  occupies  in  our  affairs,  that  is,  through 
its  objective  phases,  not  subjectively.  Men  point  to  inven- 
tions and  arts,  writings  and  buildings,  business  and  sci- 
ence, as  the  noble  fruits  of  man's  intellect,  and  the 
necessary  means,  with  other  externalized  thoughts,  by 
which  mind  influences  the  world.  But  to  think  that 
there  is  a  way  for  thought  to  work  more  directly  upon 
these  outer  affairs  is  as  difficult  for  some,  as  it  would 
have  been  once  for  one  to  believe  that  an  electric  current 
could  be  used  without  a  conductor,  definitely  placed  by 
the  hands  of  man.  Just  as  the  Marconi  telegrams  do 
have  conductors,  though  invisible  to  men's  eyes,  so 
thought-force  is  conducted  and  applied,  though  the  ave- 
nues are  still  unsensed  by  mortal  man. 

Science  is  slowly  working  with  thought,  experi- 
menting and  collecting  data.  And  certain  ones  in  the  van 
can  hardly  restrain  themselves  from  publishing  their  own 
convictions,  that  thoughts  can  be  felt  and  measured,  ana- 
lyzed and  described,  as  heat  and  electricity  have  been, 
by  their  effects.  But  science  is  conservative.  It  is  philo- 


20  PROSPERITY 


sophy,  now  beginning  to  acknowledge  intuition  as  a 
v factor  in  acquiring  knowledge,  that  will  keep  men  abreast 
of  the  times,  and  be  the  best  handmaiden  of  the  new 
thought  and  theology,  whose  influence  can  no  longer  be 
denied. 

Sufficient  for  us,  that  all  over  the  world  men  and 
women  are  proving  that  thoughts  are  the  greatest  means 
and  substance  upon  the  whole  earth ;  that  thoughts  can 
be  read,  and  their  vibrations  felt,  most  distinctly;  that 
they  create  atmospheres  that  are  attractive  or  repulsive 
according  to  their  character ;  that  it  is  a  crying  necessity 
that  men  be  educated  in  this  field,  so  that  they  shall  not  be 
exploited  by  the  unscrupulous,  nor  fall  into  such  errors 
themselves,  but  join  the  great  thought-forces  that  make 
for  righteousness,  that  is,  the  health  and  happiness, 
wealth  and  freedom  of  a  man's  neighbor  as  well  as  him- 
self. 

The  word,  silent  or  audible,  is  the  conductor  of 
thought,  and  the  trained  mind  knows  what  words  to 
use,  and  what  thoughts  to  make  positive,  and  what  nega- 
tive ;  and  how  to  keep  the  true  thoughts  free  from 
adulteration  of  false  notions,  opinions,  sentiments  and 
fears. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  dwelt  upon  the  thoughts  that 
constitute  the  true  positive  attitude  of  the  mind,  that 
makes  for  success  through  spirituality.  But  not  only' 
must  we  know  the  right  positive  way  of  thinking,  but 
also  we  must  know  the  right  negative  way  of  thinking. 
For  in  the  realm  of  appearances,  there  are  both  the  posi- 
tive and  negative  to  be  correctly  manifest,  in  order  to 
rightly  reflect  the  things  that  are.  To  try  to  fill  our 
mentalities  with  true  thoughts,  while  clinging  to  old  false 
ideas,  is  like  trying  to  fill  a  full  ink-bottle  with  milk, 
without  emptying  out  the  ink,  with  the  result  of  having 
neither  ink  nor  milk  but  a  useless  liquid. 

Out  of  the  many  affirmations  of  the  last  lesson,  let 
us  select  these,  "God  is  omnipresent"  and  "God  is  good." 


PROSPERITY  21 


Combining  them  we  have  "Good  is  omnipresent,"  the 
first  great  axiom  of  the  true  Science  of  God.  It  is  as 
simple  as  two  and  two  are  four  and  it  is  as  important. 
It  is  the  scientific  basis  of  the  true  and  lasting  optimism. 

When  the  mind  has  "a  reason  for  the  hope"  that 
is  in  it,  then  hope  can  pass  into  certainty,  and  even,  at 
the  times  when  experience  and  the  senses  would  utterly 
sweep  away  a  groundless  optimism,  one  can  abide  in 
cheerfulness,  until  its  wisdom  and  its  effectiveness  are 
proven.  Prosperity  and  cheerfulness  are  boon  com- 
panions and  one  always  attracts  the  other.  "Plenty  and 
good  cheer"  has  passed  into  proverb. 

That  the  realization,  "Good  is  omnipresent,"  may 
be  with  one  continually,  the  mind  must  be  given  over  to 
that  kind  of  thinking,  night  and  day.  The  old  scriptural 
instructions,  to  "love  God  with  all  your  heart,  soul,  mind 
and  strength/1  and  to  "meditate  on  His  Law  night  and 
day/1  to  "pray  without  ceasing11  and  to  "acknowledge 
Him  in  all  thy  ways"  can  be  fulfilled  only  by  determined 
refusal  to  entertain  the  opposite  thoughts  and  feelings. 
Thus  the  mind  refuses  to  meditate  upon  evil  and  fail- 
ures, wrongs  and  losses,  fears  and  worriments. 

Every  time  an  unhappy  thought  arises,  wisdom  dis- 
places it  with  a  silent  statement  of  the  allness  of  the 
Good.  Reason  becomes  the  schoolmaster,  and  the  sense- 
testimonies  are  set  aside.  Not  only  do  we  remember  the 
Lord  our  "God,  for  it  is  He  that  giveth  thee  power  to 
get  wealth,"  but  we  learn  to  forget  the  old  ways  of 
ascribing  our  riches  to  material  sources  and  personal 
efforts.  In  remembering  the  Lord  our  God,  we  are 
reminding  ourselves  of  the  All  Good,  and  this  means  a 
forgetting  of  evil. 

There  are  people,  who  are  suffering  from  condi- 
tions of  poverty,  because  their  minds  are  filled  with 
memories  of  losses  and  failures.  If  you  think  about  loss, 
you  produce  what  you  think  about.  Sometimes  it  is  not 
a  meditation  on  the  loss  of  money  and  things,  but  upon 


22  PROSPERITY 


the  loss  of  friends,  or  reputation,  or  some  other  good, 
that  seems  to  have  no  connection  with  one's  financial 
welfare. 

Socrates  says  "He  that  grieves  much  is  a  magnet  to 
attract  \vaste  of  property."  Cease  to  grieve,  or  entertain 
sad  memories  of  any  kind.  One  student  of  truth  had  a 
revelation  as  to  the  cause  of  her  failures,  upon  hearing 
these  words  of  Socrates.  She  could  trace  the  beginning 
of  the  long  time  of  hard  luck  to  the  day,  when  she  was 
overwhelmed  by  the  loss  of  a  darling  son.  She  grieved 
and  grieved,  although  she  was  in  the  truth,  and  knew 
that  she  was  not  loyal  to  her  principles  in  continuing  such 
indulgence.  But  with  this  awakening,  she  resolved  to 
put  away  her  sorrow,  and  remember  that  her  son  lived 
throughout  eternity,  and  no  longer  deny  the  presence  of 
the  All-Good.  And  from  the  day  of  that  resolution,  her 
affairs  revived,  so  that  today  she  has  a  deep-seated 
consciousness  of  God's  eternal  supply,  and  demonstrates 
it  daily. 

Our  thinking  is  assisted  by  our  speech,  so  let  our 
determination  be  to  speak  on  the  bright  side  and  refrain 
from  talking  about  "hard  times"  and  "money  being 
scarce,"  and  other  forms  of  financial  straits. 

Man  himself  decides  the  character  of  the  times  by 
his  mental  attitude.  Man  controls  the  currency,  he  can 
make  it  free,  or  congested,  at  will,  and  sometimes  one 
man  can  be  the  key-log  of  a  whole  situation,  continuing 
the  "jam"  by  his  own  stolidity,  or  causing  an  easy  flow 
by  his  freedom. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  difference  it  makes  to  an 
individual,  whether  he  talks  "hard  times,"  or  simply 
refrains  from  such  speech,  a  gentleman  told  me  the  fol- 
lowing as  an  actual  experience : 

There  were  two  merchants  in  a  town  in  Southern 
California,  both  in  a  flourishing  state,  until  a  time  of 
financial  panic,  which  put  the  character  of  each  to  the 
test.  One  talked  of  the  bank  failures  and  the  gloomy 


PROSPERITY  23 

outlook,  the  other  was  full  of  assurance  that  it  could  not 
last,  and  had  only  cheery  answers  to  all  the  pessimistic 
speculations,  and  never  indulged  himself  in  any  talk  on 
the  negative  side. 

About  twenty  miles  from  that  town,  lived  a  young 
man  on  a  ranch,  which  he  was  developing,  while  depend- 
ing for  his  living  upon  a  monthly  remittance,  which  came 
from  his  home  in  England.  He  knew  of  nothing  that 
was  taking  place  in  the  rest  of  the  world,  as  he  had  no 
newspapers,  receiving  his  mail  only  when  he  drove  to 
town,  which  was  at  long  intervals  of  time.  On  such 
visits  he  always  laid  in  a  good  store  of  provisions. 

In  the  midst  of  the  panic-time  he  went  to  town, 
stopped  at  the  store  of  the  optimistic  merchant,  and 
"stocked  up1'  liberally.  Then  he  went  over  to  the  other 
merchant's  place  where  he  intended  to  buy  just  as  freely. 
He  found  'that  merchant  standing  idly  at  his  door,  and 
exclaimed-  at  finding  such  a  dearth  of  customers.  There- 
upon the  merchant  launched  forth  with  his  tale  of  woe, 
which  so  affected  the  young  man,  that  he  ceased  all  further 
purchasing,  and  soon  started  for  his  ranch,  resolving  to 
hold  to  his  money,  although  England  at  the  time  was 
not  in  the  least  moved  by  the  local  stringencies  of  America. 
And  he  said,  the  optimist  \vent  through  the  hard  times 
with  little  falling  awray,  while  the  other  merchant  did 
not  recover  his  old  status  until  long  after  the  panic  had 
passed. 

It  is  as  foolish  for  men  to  hold  back  their  money  at 
a  time  of  national,  financial  difficulties,  as  for  the  motorist 
to  shut  down  on  his  power  before  ascending  a  hill.  But 
what  could  change  this  natural  action  of  self-preserva- 
tion but  spiritual  insight,  and  regard  for  one's  neigh- 
bor's welfare,  equal  to  the  regard  for  one's  own. 

Three  dominant  ways  of  carnal  thought  must  be 
emptied  out  of  the  mind:  (1)  the  belief  in  evil;  (2)  in 
materiality;  (3)  in  the  mortal  self;  and  daily,  three  domi- 
nant spiritual  ideas  must  take  their  place:  (1)  the  belief 


24  PROSPERITY 


in  the  All-Good;  (2)  in  Mind  as  the  one  substance  and 
cause;  (3)  in  the  God-Self  as  All  in  All. 

The  power  to  set  aside  one's  human  self-hood, 
through  realizing  the  Self  that  is  divine  is  called  Meek- 
ness. This  word  is  not  commonly  understood,  being 
generally  associated  with  weakness  and  lack  of  spirited- 
ness.  Whereas  no  one  can  be  truly  meek  who  is  not 
strong  and  spirited. 

Moses  has  been  cited  as  the  most  marked  ex- 
ample of  the  meekness  that  inherits  the  earth.  Full 
of  fire,  and  charged  with  power,  he  did  not  use  these 
for  his  own  personal  advantage.  But  he  wished  all  to 
stand  at  the  same  place  that  he  had  reached.  One  of 
his  followers,  Joshua,  once  grew  very  jealous  for  his 
master's  glory  and  power,  and  asked  permission  to  stop 
certain  young  men  in  the  camp  from  prophesying,  be- 
cause they  had  not  been  ordained  to  that  work  by  the 
great  Moses.  But  the  mighty  man  replied  to  his  disciple 
in  these  noble  words: 

"Enviest  thou  for  my  sake?  Would  Gocl  that  all 
the  Lord's  people  were  prophets,  and  that  the  Lord 
would  put  his  spirit  upon  them!''  Numbers  11:29. 

There  are  people,  who  do  not  go  on  to  their  pros- 
perity, because  they  are  so  full  of  the  earthly  selfhood — 
all  the  time  thinking  of  their  rights,  and  seeking  to  exalt 
themselves,  and  demanding  acknowledgment  from  others 
of  their  righteousness  and  ability.  Pride  prevents  them 
from  doing  work  for  which  they  are  especially  adapted, 
and  which  they  could  honor  and  exalt,  if  they  entered 
into  it  with  the  right  spirit.  Egotism  makes  them  in- 
sufferable to  others — even  to  those  who  would  other- 
wise be  glad  to  prosper  them.  Envy  makes  them  bitter, 
and  even  malicious,  in  their  action  and  speech  so  that 
men,  who  are  in  a  position  to  choose  their  associates, 
avoid  them.  Covetousness  and  greed  make  them  over- 
reach the  mark,  in  placing  value  on  their  goods,  from 
which,  again,  fear  may  make  them  run  to  the  other 


PROSPERITY  25 


extreme  and  undervalue  their  work  and  cheapen  them- 
selves. Ambition  blinds  them,  and  after  many  failures, 
leaves  them  stranded,  wallowing  in  pessimism  and  pov- 
erty. All  because  they  did  not  know  how  to  let  go  of 
that  mortal  self -hood,  the  "little  I,"  and  so  enter  into 
the  power  of  their  mighty  Meekness. 

Meekness  is  freedom  from  pride,  envy,  greed  and 
egotism.  It  is  a  certain  emptiness  that  has  a  wonderful 
drawing  power. 

The  principle  of  Meekness  is  the  same  as  that  of 
the  vacuum.  It  is  that  which  keeps  all  good  in  circula- 
tion. What  the  vacuum  is  in  nature,  meekness  is  with 
the  rich  Substance  of  God.  Without  a  vacuum,  that 
continually  demands  filling,  the  movements  of  nature 
would  cease.  It  is  the  vacuum  that  draws  the  air  into 
the  lungs,  that  pulls  the  sap  up  the  trees.  And  in  me- 
chanics it  is  the  secret  of  the  useful  pump  and  the 
mighty  steam  engine.  O,  the  mystery  of  the  vacuum ! 
who  can  compass  it? 

Even  when  men  have  but  a  little  of  this  Meekness, 
it  has  made  them  rich.  It  is  the  key  to  the  prosperity 
of  many  a  "self-made  man."  With  small  beginnings, 
letting  no  pride  stand  in  his  way,  he  has  gone  steadily 
ahead,  often  quite  free  from  envy  before  the  success 
of  others,  and  even,  when  at  the  pinnacle,  so  free  from 
vanity  as  to  do  menial  things,  if  exigency  requires  it, 
and  not  think  himself  lowered  by  anything  he  does. 
Yet,  again,  he  may  lose  that  meekness  —  he  may  forget 
and  let  pride  and  egotism  arrest  his  development,  all 
because  his  meekness  was  not  grounded  in  knowledge 
but  was  an  unconscious  gift  from  his  God-Being. 

When  one's  God-given  meekness  continues  through 
life,  then  one's  prosperity  includes,  with  riches,  great 
honor  and  position.  The  world  loves  to  honor  the  man 
who  loses  himself  in  the  Cause  for  which  he  stands.  It 
was  this  quality  in  General  Grant  that  made  it  easy  for 
the  world  to  honor  the  United  States,  in  honoring  him. 


26  PROSPERITY 


His  silence,  his  freedom  from  egotism,  his  modesty  and 
freedom  from  all  demands  as  U.  S.  Grant,  opened  wide 
the  gates  for  the  inrush  of  praise  and  gifts.  The  world 
lay  at  his  feet.  He  needed  only  the  Christ-knowledge  to 
have  placed  him  forever  beyond  the  reach  of  failure. 

The  full  Meekness  of  the  Christ  is  established  in  the 
consciousness,  that  is  right  valuation.  In  it  there  is  ever 
the  seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  there  is  a  per- 
fect deliverance  from  the  pursuit  of  material  things. 
They  follow,  they  seek  him.  He  does  not  need  to  run 
after  them,  they  are  drawn  to  him  as  fervently  as  steel  to 
the  magnet,  for  he  has  the  Substance  which  they  shadow. 
Those  who  pursue  material  things  are  always  just  miss- 
ing them,  and  not  until  they  do  not  care,  and  may  even 
have  forgotten  their  ardent  desire  for  them,  do  they  come 
and  settle  down  in  their  world.  The  Talmud  says 
"Who  runs  after  greatness,  greatness  runs  away  from, 
but  who  runs  away  from  greatness,  greatness  runs  after." 

Turn  that  rich  desire-nature  of  yours  into  realiza- 
tion, that  there  is  nothing  for  you  really  to  pursue.  All 
that  you  have  sought,  all  that  is  worth  the  having,  you 
already  have,  you  already  are.  Awake !  arise !  Come 
to  yourself  and  rest  in  the  great  Truth  of  the  ages,  that 
the  one  desire  of  our  heart  is,  and  always  has  been,  GOD. 
And  God  we  have,  and  God  we  are.  For  there  is  naught 
else  to  have  or  to  be.  Perceiving  this,  you  fulfill  the  in- 
junctions of  old  for  very  joy's  sake,  "hearkening  dili- 
gently unto  the  Voice  of  the  Lord"  wherever  uttered, 
upon  the  lips  of  fools  or  in  the  oracles  of  masters,  in 
song  of  bird  or  of  poet,  in  the  roar  of  the  earthquake  or 
in  the  still  small  voice  within.  And  ever  hearing  and 
obeying,  the  prophecy  is  fulfilled  in  your  life : 

"And  all  these  blessings  shall  come  on  thee,  and 
overtake  thee.1' 

"Blessed  shalt  thou  be  in  the  city,  and  blessed  shall 
thou  be  in  the  field." 

"Blessed  shall  be  thy  basket  and  thy  store." 


PEOSPEEITY  27 


"Blessed  shalt  thou  be  when  thou  comest  in,  and 
blessed  thalt  thou  be  when  thou  goest  out." 

"And  the  Lord  shall  make  thee  plenteous  in  goods, 
in  the  fruit  of  thy  body,  and  in  the  fruit  of  thy  cattle,  and 
in  the  fruit  of  thy  ground." 

"The  Lord  shall  open  unto  thee  his  good  treasure, 
the  heaven  to  give  the  rain  unto  thy  land  in  his  season, 
and  to  bless  all  the  work  of  thine  hand."  Deut.  28 :2,  3,  5, 
6,  11,  12. 


In  conjunction  with  the  meditation,  given  at  the 
close  of  the  last  lesson,  meditate  daily  upon  the  follow- 
ing, learning  the  words  by  heart,  and  repeating  them, 
until  there  is  an  answering  thrill  within  you  at  each 
repetition : 

I  AM  THAT  I  AM,  the  rich  fountain  of  your 
abundant  supply  within  'you.  By  the  power  of  the  Spirit, 
my  rich  substance  is  now  overflowing  into  every  avenue 
and  expression  of  your  Life. 

My  presence  and  my  power,  working  all  things  to- 
gether for  good,  is  felt  and  seen  in  everything  you  put 
your  hand  to. 

I  AM  THAT  I  AM,  your  Very  Self,  Ming  your 
zvhole  being  and  all  your  world.  Where  I  AM,  there  is 
only  Good,  and  therefore  I  declare,  there  is  no  place  in 
all  being  for  evil;  there  never  can  be  any  failure ;  there 
is  nothing  to  fear. 

Where  I  AM,  there  is  only  pure  Spirit,  divine  Mind, 
the  eternal  rich  Substance  of  God.  Therefore  I  declare 
the  nothingness  of  material  things.  They  have  no  power 
to  attract  or  bind  Me.  I  know  no  greed  for  possessions. 
I  have  all  that  is  real,  and  I  covet  nothing  that  passes 
away. 

Where  I  AM,  there  is  only  Love,  that  loves  and  gives 
to  All,  and  therefore  I  knozv  no  envy  or  jealousy,  no 
pride  or  selfishness. 


28  PROSPERITY 


"Come  unto  Me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden 
and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

"Take  My  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  Me;  for 
f  AM  MEEK  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls." 

"For  My  yoke  is  easy  and  My  burden  is  light." 


III. 
Confidence  Through  Knowledge  of  Truth. 

"Be  sure  you're  right,  then  go  ahead. " 

"Because  thou  hast  asked  this  thing  ...  I  have 
given  thee  a  wise  and  understanding  heart  .  .  .  and  I  have 
also  given  thee  that  which  thou  hast  not  asked,  both  riches 
and  honor. ' '— /  Kings  3:11,  12,  13. 

One  of  the  most  essential  concomitants  to  pros- 
perity is  confidence  —  self-confidence  and  confidence  in 
others,  trust  in  the  outcome  of  an  undertaking,  and 
assurance  that  one  is  in  the  right,  and  bound  to  win. 
Without  this  deep,  interior  faith,  one  cannot  draw  the 
confidence  of  others,  and  so  have  the  co-operation  of  all 
those,  whose  aid  and  abetting,  can  give  actual  standing 
in  the  business  world. 

Everything  works  for,  and  to  the  credit  of,  those 
who  "know  in  whom  they  have  believed,"  and  who  have 
great  principles  for  the  foundation  of  their  confidence  in 
themselves,  and  in  their  enterprise. 

Credit  is  one  of  the  greatest  business  factors,  if  not 
the  greatest,  in  the  world  today.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  carry  on  the  commerce  and  trade  which  are  so  gen- 
eral, active  and  immense  throughout  this  world,  if  it  were 
not  for  the  great  credit  system.  There  is  not  enough 
money  coined  to  be  the  medium  of  exchange  necessary 
to,  and  equal  to  the  ratio  of,  the  business  transacted  even 
in  one  day,  nor  is  there  time,  or  facilities,  to  affect  the 
exchanges,  that  even  the  banks  would  require,  if  sud- 
denly all  credit  were  removed  from  affairs. 


30  PROSPERITY 


So  potent  is  Credit,  that  even  the  touch  of  the  hem 
of  its  garment,  has  been  known  to  save  a  man  from  finan- 
cial death.  A  story  is  told  of  the  power  that  the  Roths- 
childs yield  in  the  realm  of  Credit,  that  once  a  man  whose 
business  was  on  the  very  verge  of  ruin  but  who,  with  a 
little  restraint  put  upon  his  creditors,  could  pass  by  the 
crisis  in  his  affairs,  appealed  to  one  of  the  great  Roths- 
childs (who  knew  him  but  slightly  yet  believed  his  story), 
for  a  word,  an  endorsement,  a  loan,  that  would  pilot  him 
through  the  dangerous  straits.  The  giant-financier  said 
to  him : 

"My  friend,  I  have  an  errand  down  the  street,  just 
take  my  arm  and  walk  with  me." 

And  so,  as  intimate  business  friends,  they  passed 
among  the  brokers  of  Paris.  It  was  enough.  His  credit- 
ors stayed  their  claims,  the  crisis  was  passed,  and  the 
man's  business  was  saved.  It  was  Thought  that  did  the 
work,  the  greatest  power  in  the  world. 

To  know  when  to  have  confidence,  where  to  place  it, 
and  how  to  retain  it,  these  are  some  of  the  questions. 
There  are  those  wrho  are  not  succeeding,  because  of  an 
undue  caution  and  a  lack  of  trust.  Or,  in  giving  credit, 
they  have  lacked  judgment,  or  dealt  with  a  slack  hand, 
or  get  into  bondage  because  of  fear. 

Then  there  are  those,  who  think  they  cannot  trust 
anybody — that  all  men  are  dishonest,  and  they  will  trust 
no  one,  until  he,  or  she,  has  been  proven  trust-worthy. 
Experience  has  been  their  hard  and  bitter  teacher. 

In  this  world  of  appearances,  there  are  twro  kinds 
of  trust,  a  positive,  and  a  negative.  The  latter  is  the  trust 
of  the  ignorant,  and  unless  there  comes  wisdom  and 
understanding,  theirs  may  prove  even  a  false  trust,  which 
will  and  must  finally  pass  away.  Innocence  can  trust  and 
be  justified,  for  innocence  is  divine.  Ignorance  and  inno- 
cence are  not  synonyms,  as  some  suppose ;  there  is  no 
perfect  innocence  that  is  not  based  upon  intuitive  knowl- 
edge. It  is  when  the  innocent  one  begins  to  mix  with 


PROSPERITY  31 


worldly  knowledge  that  failure  follows.  Then  their  trust 
in  people  becomes  a  mere  looking  to  the  mortal,  and  their 
trust  in  God  is  in  a  being,  who  is  far  away,  with  partiali- 
ties, and  of  uncertain  character.  And  presently  their 
faith  is  tried,  and  it  cannot  stand  because  their  knowl- 
edge, being  of  a  worldly  nature,  is  according  to  appear- 
ances, and  has  not  real  foundation. 

True  Trust,  the  positive  confidence,  that  nothing  can 
take  from  you,  is  trust  in  the  Godhood  of  everybody,  and 
everything.  You  trust  yourself,  because  you  let  your 
Divine  Self  guide  you.  You  know  that  the  Lord  in  you 
can  do  everything,  and  you  let  It's  wisdom  direct  you, 
and  give  you  skill  and  insight,  inspiration  and  under- 
standing. You  may  need  to  remind  yourself  often  of 
the  One  in  whom  you  trust,  if  you  have  hitherto  lacked 
confidence.  Or,  if  your  old  confidence  was  a  kind  of 
self-conceit,  brazen  yet  weak,  when  you  pass  like  the 
apostle  Paul,  from  the  old .  boldness  to  the  new  meek, 
yet  fearless,  confidence,  it  will  be  good  to  say,  "I  can  do 
all  things  through  Christ  which  strengthened  me," 
•Phil.  4:13. 

This  is  the  Wisdom,  of  which  Solomon  sung  and 
wrote,  whose  price  is  above  rubies,  "For  the  merchandise 
of  it  is  better  than  the  merchandise  of  silver,  and  the 
gain  thereof  than  fine  gold,"  Prov.  3:14.  It  was  this 
understanding,  that  brought  to  that  king  all  his  riches 
and  honor.  With  it,  you  cannot  be  poor.  Mines  of  rich 
ore  are  discovered  by  it.  Timely  inventions  spring  forth 
from  it.  Secrets  of  nature  come  with  it.  Business  fore- 
sight, judgment  as  to  human  efficiency,  right  valuations 
as  to  land  and  commodities,  are  some  of  its  gifts.  The 
category  of  advantages,  that  accrue  with  divine  under- 
standing, is  too  long  and  universal  to  be  written  about 
in  these  lessons — only  taste  and  see. 

By  this  light,  you  look  for  the  divinity  in  everyone, 
even  the  dishonest,  and  that  One  will  come  forward.  By 
having  your  eye  single  to  that  One  you  will  also  be  able 


32  PROSPERITY 


to  discern  as  to  the  errors  that  hide  it,  and  there  will  be 
no  confusion  in  your  mind,  as  to  human  nature.  You'll 
not  put  your  "trust  in  the  flesh,"  nor  "in  princes,"  but 
ever  in  the  One  that  is  trust  worthy. 

Be  sure  the  Lord  is  on  your  side.  Your  sense  of 
righteousness  is  keen  enough  for  that.  Business  ethics 
are  not  different  from  others.  Business  is  not  business 
with  the  Spirit  left  out.  It  is  only  a  dead  and  cold 
Moloch  that  in  the  end  will  consume  the  fairest  and  dear- 
est that  you  hold  in  life.  If  you  abandon  scruples  and 
conscience  you  must  not  sink,  but  rise  on  the  wings  of 
your  Godhood,  a  law  unto  yourself,  and  the  Supreme 
Benefactor  of  the  whole  human  race. 

Certain  good  people  fear  to  be  rich,  lest  they  should 
fall  into  the  snare  of  riches,  and  miss  their  way  into  eter- 
nal happiness.  Learn  to  pray  that  you  be  "not  led  into  the 
temptations"  of  any  God-gift.  The  Spirit  can  protect  you 
from  every  liability,  if  you  but  remember.  The  saying, 
"How  hard  it  is  for  them  that  trust  in  riches  to  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God"  (Mark  10:24),  applies  to  the 
poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  for  many  are  the  poverty-stricken 
who  labor  under  the  delusion,  that  they  would  be  com- 
pletely happy  if  they  were  only  rich.  It  is  our  attitude 
towards  riches  that  determines  whether  they  are  a  stum- 
bling-block or  not.  Good  people !  search  the  Scriptures, 
and  gather  together  the  many  texts  that  show  that  riches 
belong  to  the  righteous  !  No  longer  deceive  yourselves 
into  thinking  Jesus  was  poor !  At  any  moment  he  could 
have  had  all  the  wealth  of 'the  world  at  his  command. 
Compare  two  statements  which  Paul  makes  about  the 
Master  as  to  his  poverty  and  his  sin,  that  both  were  but 
an  appearance : 

"For  he  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  wrho  knew  no 
sin ;  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
him,"  2  Cor.  5:21. 

"Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that 


PROSPERITY  33 


though  he  was  rich,  he  became  poor  that  ye  through  his 
poverty  might  be  rich,"  2  Cor.  8  :9. 

It  is  not  money  that  is  the  root  of  all  evil,  but  the 
love  of  it.  Let  money  be  nothing  to  you ;  and  let  us  not 
talk  of  "wanting  to  be  rich  because  of  the  good  we  could 
do,"  but  let  us  see  we  wish  to  be  rich  because  it  is  right, 
and  it  belongs  to  the  daughters  of  the  King,  and  the 
princes  of  God. 

There  is  never  any  occasion  in  all  one's  life  for  los- 
ing faith,  or  for  entertaining  doubt.  The  man  who 
"doubts  not  in  his  heart,"  according  to  the  Master,  can 
"have  whatsoever  he  saith,"  Mark  11 :23. 

Faith  is  persistency,  which  is  rooted  in  the  knowl- 
edge that  "this  good  is  for  you,  and  you  can  have  it." 
When  Jesus  wished  to  illustrate  the  faith  that  wins,  he 
chose  an  example  of  persistency,  that  won  its  way  be- 
cause of  its  own  nature,  and  not  because  of  justice,  or 
love,  or  any  other  reason.  He  cites  the  case  of  a  Judge 
who  neither  feared  God  nor  regarded  man ;  and  a  widow 
came  to  him,  demanding  that  justice  be  done  her  in  a 
certain  cause.  At  first  the  Judge  pays  no  attention  but 
the  widow  troubles  him  so  with  her  determined  claims, 
that  at  last  he  yields  to  the  widow,  "lest  by  her  continual 
coming  she  weary  me." 

By  this  analogy,  the  Master  would  give  insight  as  to 
a  Law,  by  which  one  can  receive  his  own,  even  though 
neither  merit  nor  love  have  succeeded  in  bringing  it  to 
him.  Another  peculiar  parable  to  illustrate  this  powrer 
of  persistent  prayer  is  given  in  Luke  11 :5  to  10,  "because 
of  his  importunity." 

When  tempted  to  complain  and  to  say,  "I've  always 
tried  to  do  right,  and  to  be  good,  and  I've  never  wronged 
anyone ;  I  don't  see  why  I  should  be  so  poor  and  suffer 
so  !^  close  your  lips  on  that  utterance  before  it  can  come 
forth,  and  rise  in  your  mind  above  the  law  of  cause  and 
effect,  of  reward  and  punishment  and  take  fresh  hold  of 
the  thought : 


34  PROSPERITY 


"My  Good  is  for  me,  whether  I  deserve  it,  or  not, 
and  I  can  have  it  now,  and  I  do  have  it  this  moment  in 
Spirit,  and  now,  it  can  manifest!" 

Once  a  young  woman  came  to  San  Francisco  from 
a  country  town,  an  orphan  and  friendless,  desiring  to  get 
work.  She  soon  found  that  her  lack  of  experience  in 
work  handicapped  her  sadly.  She  was  unattractive  and 
without  tact,  silent  and  colorless.  But  she  had  a  mar- 
vellous tenacity.  .At  last  she  got  a  position  in  the  United 
States  Mint,  a  most  difficult  thing  to  do,  unless  one  has 
excellent  endorsement.  She  remained  there  three  years, 
because  her  political  sponsor  was  such  a  man  of  influence. 
Someone  inquired  one  day  as  to  his  personal  character, 
and  she  replied,  "I  know  little,  or  nothing,  about  him 
beyond  the  brief  conversations,  that  I  had  with  him  be- 
fore getting  my  position."  And  then  she  told  her  simple 
story  of  how  she  succeeded,  where  hundreds  had  failed. 

When  she  heard  that  women  worked  in  the  Mint, 
she  went  to  the  Superintendent  to  ask  for  a  position.  He 
was  a  polite  man,  and  answered  her  courteously,  that 
there  were  no  vacancies.  In  a  few  days  she  applied  again. 
Receiving  the  same  answer  she  left  a  self-addressed  en- 
velope, asking  the  Superintendent  to  let  her  know  when 
there  would  be  a  vacancy.  She  presented  herself,  after 
that,  numbers  of  times — every  few  days.  At  last  the 
Superintendent  must  have  pitied  her  ignorance,  and  per- 
haps admired  her  simplicity,  for  he  condescended  to  ex- 
plain to  her  that  without  "influence" — the  endorsement 
of  some  statesman  or  other  man  of  great  public  power, 
or  position — she  could  not  be  accepted.  She  asked  him 
to  name  such  a  man.  It  happened  that  a  certain  Con- 
gressman had  arrived  in  the  City  that  very  day.  She  went 
to  see  him,  took  his  specious  promises  in  earnest,  and 
haunted  his  office  day  after  day,  until  at  last  to  get  rid  of 
her  he  wrote  the  letter  that  gave  her  the  place.  It  is  the 
story  of  the  Widow  and  the  Judge  repeated,  Luke  18: 
2  to  7, 


PEOSPEEITY  35 


Many  a  man,  and  woman,  has  succeeded  by  just  such 
simple  faith.  It  was  not  the  mere  going;  nor  by  a  bold 
impertinent  annoyance ;  nor  was  it  an  ordinary  aggres- 
siveness, but  a  deep  childlike  trust  that  took  every  one  at 
his  word  and  knew  no  failure. 

It  is  wise  never  to  approach  another  with  the  idea 
of  non-success.  If  you  have  such  impression,  either 
recover  from  that  lack  of  faith  on  your  own  part,  or  make 
no  attempt  to  see  the  person. 

Faith  in  the  good-will  of  people,  when  it  is  based 
upon  your  respect  for  their  True  Self,  often  forces  them, 
for  very  peace  of  mind  and  self-respect,  to  show  forth 
their  better  side.  So  well  is  the  law  recognized  today  in 
trade,  that  clerks  and  other  employees  are  being  educated 
by  their  employers  to  welcome  all  with  a  pleasant  face, 
and,  whether  customers  buy  or  not,  whether  they  are 
polite  or  not,  to  be  invariably  courteous  and  agreeable 
themselves.  Such  is  good,  common  business-sense. 

A  noted  merchant-prince  of  Chicago  had  the  follow- 
ing printed,  and  freely  distributed  among  his  patrons  and 
eniployees,  as  the  ruling  "Idea"  of  his  great  store : 

"To  do  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time,  in  the  right 
way;  to  do  some  things  better  than  they  were  ever  done 
before ;  to  eliminate  errors;  to  know  both  sides  of  the 
question;  to  be  courteous;  to  be  an  example;  to  work  for 
love  of  the  zvork;  to  anticipate  requirements;  to  develop 
resources;  to  recognize  no  impediments ;  to  master  circum- 
stances;  to  act  from  reason  rather  than  rule ;  to  be  satis- 
fied with  nothing  short  of  perfection!' 

The  finishing  and  sealing  of  eternal  Confidence  in 
your  self,  your  fellow-man,  a'nd  your  world,  lie  in  the 
realization  of  the  Truth  of  these  two  master  thoughts: 
1st — That  your  Richness  is  a  blessing  to  all  creation ;  and, 
2nd — That  it  is  the  Will  of  the  true  God,  that  you  shall 
be  a  great  Success  on  earth,  as  well  as  in  heaven. 

The  old  thought,  that  one  cannot  be  rich  but  at  the 
expense  of  his  neighbor,  must  pass  away,  and  every  prac- 


36  PROSPERITY 


tice  that  has  had  that  thought  for  its  basis.  True  pros- 
perity adds  to  the  richness  of  the  whole  earth,  like  the 
benefit  conferred  by  the  man  who  makes  two  trees  grow 
where  only  one  grew  before.  The  parasitical  belief  of 
prospering  by  the  sacrifices  of  others  has  no  place  in  the 
mind  that  thinks  true.  My  benefit  is  your  benefit,  your 
success  is  my  welfare,  should  be  the  basis  of  our  wealth. 

It  is  the  divine  will,  that  you  shall  be  a  self-reliant, 
self-supporting  being,  strong,  upright,  efficient,  a  noble- 
man of  God's  realm,  able  to  command  all  the  elements, 
and  to  use  and  beautify  all  creation,  through  knowledge 
of  the  Self  and  union  with  God. 

It  was  in  man's  disobedient  view  of  the  Lord,  that 
he  judged  Him  a  harsh,  austere  task-master  over  poor 
slaves.  Now  we  know  that  we  do  not  honor  God  with 
such  a  view,  but  we  see  Him  as  He  is,  the  lover  of  all ; 
the  true  God,  who  wills  that  everyone  shall  enter  into  joy 
and  freedom,  while  yet  on  the  earth,  by  co-operating  with 
the  only  Will  there  is,  which  seeks  always  and  every- 
where the  Good  and  Happiness  of  the  whole. 


IV. 
Inspiration  in  Work. 

'  '  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might. " — Ecclesiastes  9:10. 

1  i  Not  by  might  nor  by  power  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts"  [Forces]. — Zech.  4:6. 

Every  human  being  is  a  dynamo  of  concentrated, 
creative  energy,  ever  seeking  avenues  of  expression.  And 
when  the  right  avenues  have  been  found,  and  there  is 
nothing  that  prevents  the  free  and  full  manifestation  of 
that  energy,  then  heavenly  joy  is  realized,  and  continues, 
as  the  fruits  of  that  work  return  and  glorify  their  source. 

Work  is  divine,  and  everyone  who  is  normal  in  mind 
and  body,  loves  work — not  labor,  but  work,  for  there  is 
a  distinction  between  work  and  labor.  The  first  is  the 
creative  activity  of  God,  congenial,  united  with  love,  in- 
spired, one  with  play  and  one  with  rest.  True  work  is 
subject  to  our  choice,  never  obligatory,  nor  limited  by 
time  or  space.  It  is  done  from  the  heart,  and  there  is  no 
curse  upon  it,  for  the  worker  obeys  the  inner  Voice,  and 
ever  seeks  Its  sanction  in  all  he  does.  But  labor  is  work, 
mixed  with  false  thoughts  and  feelings,  and  therefore  its 
fruits  are  not  happiness  and  freedom. 

It  is  ignorance  of  one's  divine  origin,  and  unspiritual 
living,  that  bring  man  to  the  place  where  he  must  labor 
in  the  sweat  of  his  face,  become-  a  slave  to  others,  and 
have  imposition,  cruelty  and  injustice  heaped  upon  him. 
To  escape  the  misery  and  degradation  of  undesirable  and 
brutish  labor,  man  must  get  knowledge  about  himself  and 


38  PROSPERITY 


his  fellow-beings,  and  above  all,  know  the  true  God,  and 
the  reason  of  Jesus  Christ's  coming,  and  the  Way  to  live 
his  Life. 

Men  may  change  their  environments  and  their  mas- 
ters, may  seek  new  work,  and  make  new  laws,  but  as  long 
as  they  are  content  to  sit  in  spiritual  darkness,  and  ignore 
the  God  within,  the  problem  of  labor  will  go  unsolved. 
Social  and  economic  systems  grow  out  of  man's  views 
of  life,  and  the  passions  that  dominate  them.  If  these  are 
radically  wrong,  then  the  systems  are  false,  and  only  as 
Christ-ideals  are  held  uppermost  in  mind,  and  human 
passions  are  turned  from  earthly  power  and  money — the 
passions  of  the  poor,  as  well  as  the  rich — can  new  sys- 
tems rise,  true  laws  be  enacted,  and  the  curse  of  the  old 
order  pass  away. 

Every  one  has  a  congenial  work ;  it  is  that,  which 
men  can  do  most  happily  and  successfully;  wherein  they 
can  feel  themselves  in  tune  with  their  own  soul,  and  the 
souls  of  their  fellow-beings. 

The  most  direct  way  to  that  work  is  by  The  Rule 
of  the  Word. 

To  the  novitiate  in  spiritual  methods,  this  will  need 
explanation  and  enlargement. 

First  of  all,  let  us  understand,  and  agree  upon  this, 
that  All  is  Mind;  that  matter  and  motion;  the  two  com- 
ponents into  which  scientists  classify  all  the  parts  and 
phrases  of  creation,  are,  in  other  words,  mind-stuff  and 
its  play  upon  itself — in  the  Highest,  God-Substance  and 
God-working. 

Thought  is  mind  in  motion,  and  every  activity  upon 
this  earth  began  as  a  secret  thought.  The  nature  of  an 
activity  can  be  decided  by  the  quality  of  the  thought  that 
was  its  origin,  and  the  thoughts  which  followed  and  were 
its  modifiers.  When  a  thought  comes  out  of  abstraction 
into  the  definite  form  of  a  word,  it  is  like  captured  elec- 
tricity, and  can  be  conserved,  directed  and  used,  as  its 
speaker  wills. 


PEOSPEEITY  39 


As-  iron-moulds  determine  the  forms  of  the  melted 
metal  that  is  poured  into  them,  so  the  Word  decides  the 
outer  form,  which  thoughts  are  to  take  in  the  realm  of 
appearances. 

As  moulds  are  patterned  after  certain  ideals  in  the 
mind  of  their  creator,  so  our  words  should  be  spoken  from 
our  higher  consciousness — the  heavenly  ideals  that  are 
now  true  in  God. 

The  Rule  of  the  Word  is  to  speak  ever,  in  the  present 
tense,  the  Truth  as  it  is  in  God,  using  positive  affirma- 
tions with  the  Good  only,  and  negative  statements  as  to 
evil.  It  is  to  look  to  the  Word  as  the  God-appointed 
means  of  bringing  into  the  visible  our  Good,  which  still 
seems  invisible  to  our  earthly  senses. 

There  is  a  direct  line  between  you  and  the  work  that 
you  desire  to  do,  the  position  which  you  can  best  fill.  That 
line  remains  ever  the  same,  and  you  move  along  it  by  the 
power  of  your  True  Word,  and  the  Truth  you  speak  is 
that  which  applies  to  your  divine  Self,  which  is  ever  in 
its  right  place  and  doing  its  harmonious  and  happy  work. 

Following  this  Rule  you  declare : 

"/  am  now  in  my  right  place!' 

"I  am  now  doing  the  work  I  love  to  do!' 

According  to  appearances,  these  words  may  seem  un- 
true. But  you  are  not  'speaking  from  that  view-point, 
but  from  the  realm  of  the  Real.  "But,"  you  may  say,  "if 
words  are  such  powers,  will  not  such  statements  keep  me 
in  my  present  position  and  work,  which  are  both  so  un- 
desirable ?" 

Not  unless  that  position  and  work  are  quite  trans- 
formed, and  become  truly  representative  of  your  heaven- 
ly state  and  activity.  This  sometimes  takes  place  under 
the  Word. 

As  you  continue  gathering  spiritual  thoughts,  and 
ruling  your  silent  mental  speech,  as  well  as  your  audible 
words,  according  to  the  highest  ideals,  you  may  discover 


40  PROSPERITY 


that  you  are  where  you  are,  to  redeem  certain  traits  of 
character  that  militate  against  your  spiritual  advance- 
ment, and  therefore  interfere  with  your  earthly  prosperity 
also.  Then  you  will  be  wise,  to  cast  yourself  fervently 
upon  the  Divine  Presence  to  move  you  and  to  place  you, 
just  when,  and  where,  the  Supernal  Will  decrees,  while 
you  still  hold  the  True  Word. 

By  so  doing,  one  saves  oneself  many  unnecessary, 
even  painful,  experiences,  the  result  of  the  unregenerate 
nature  interfering. 

Often  one  does  not  know  just  what  work  would  be 
most  congenial,  or  may  even  feel  that  one  is  not  yet  fitted 
for  the  work  that  would  most  appeal ;  in  either  case,  the 
Christ-abandonment  to  the  Divine  Will  is  wisdom,  and 
perfect  trust  in  the  love  of  our  heavenly  Father,  the  surest 
road  to  that  wherein  lies  our  supreme  success. 

Eliminate  every  false  thought  from  the  work  in 
which  you  are  now  engaged,  and  whether  you  be  em- 
ployer or  employee  often  meditate  upon  such  thoughts 
as  these: 

/  cannot  grow  weary  in  well-doing.  I  cannot  be  over- 
worked. No  mortal  can  enslave  me.  No  person  or  insti- 
tution can  bind  me.  I  am  fearless  and  free.  No  false  sys- 
tem can  use  me  or  abuse  me,  I  am  God's  free  man,  I  am 
God's  noble  man. 

I  "labor  not  for  the  meat  that  perisheth  but  for  thai 
meat  which  endureth  unto  everlasting  life  which  the  Son 
of  man  shall  give  unto"  me.  Nothing  is  laborious  to  me. 
I  am  not  an  hireling.  Money  is  no  object  to  me. 

I  serve  the  Lord  in  All,  lovingly,  faithfully,  abund- 
antly, and  I  trust  the  Lord  in  All  to  serve  me  richly,  hon- 
orably, truly. 

I  am  redeemed  from  every  curse  of  labor.  I  am  noi 
duty-bound. 

In  secret,  as  well  as  openly,  I  do  my  best.  All  my 
work  is  on  honor. 

Competition  is  nothing  to  me.  Another's  success  can- 


PROSPERITY  41 


not  take  my  success  away.  My  ozvn  comes  to  me.  I  have 
no  rivals.  I  know  no  enemies.  I  rejoice  in  my  neighbor  s 
success. 

Slander  cannot  hurt  me,  for  I  envy  no  man.  Bitter- 
ness and  stride  have  no  place  in  my  affairs.  Only  the  ele- 
ments of  harmony  can  enter  into  my  business.  I  draw  to 
me  those  that  love  truth  and  honor. 

I  fear  no  lack  for  my  Loved  Ones.  They  attract  pros- 
perity even  as  I  do. 

I  gravitate  to  the  highest,  most  valuable,  most  useful 
and  happiest  position  and  ivork,  zvhich  I  can  now  fulfill  to 
the  honor  of  man  and  the  glory  of  God. 

Emerson  says  in  SPIRITUAL  LAWS  :  "Each  man  has 
his  own  vocation.  The  talent  is  the  call.  There  is  one 
direction  in  which  space  is  open  to  him.  He  has  faculties 
silently  inviting  him  thither  to  endless  exertion.  He  is 
like  a  ship  in  a  river ;  he  runs  against  obstructions  on 
every  side  but  one ;  on  that  side  all  obstruction  is  taken 
away,  and  he  sweeps  serenely  over  God's  depths  into  an 
infinite  sea.  By  doing  his  work  he  makes  the  need  felt 
which  he  can  supply.  He  creates  the  taste  by  which  he 
is  enjoyed.  He  provokes  the  wants  to  which  he  can  min- 
ister. By  doing  his  own  work,  he  unfolds  himself." 

When  one  has  no  position  at  all,  and  everything  is 
crying  out  in  him,  and  through  those  near  and  dear  to 
him,  for  the  sustenance  which  he  still  feels  must  come  by 
the  law  of  cause  and  effect,  as  he  seems  not  yet  to  realize 
the  Absolute,  what  then? 

The  same  Rule  of  the  Word  applies  to  him,  as  to 
others,  but  more  than  anything  else,  let  him  attend  to  the 
Spirit  of  rich  service  and  divine  guidance  within  him. 

Perhaps  there  has  been  too  much  running  to  and  fro, 
and  whipping  oneself  into  strenuous  search  after  work 
with,  all  the  time,  a  sense  of  the  uselessness  of  it.  Then 
it  is  wise  to  stay,  like  Mary  of  Bethany,  "still  in  the 
house/'  until  the  inner  message  is  brought  "The  Master 
is  come  and  calleth  for  -thee."  An  illustration  of  this  in 


42  PROSPERITY 

a  Truth-student's  experience  will  serve  best  to  convey 
the  instruction  intended : 

A  man  whose  wife  had  been  healed  of  a  severe  case 
of  rheumatism,  had  long  been  out  of  work  because  of  his 
appetite  for  drink,  which  had  not  only  caused  his  dis- 
charge from  many  good  positions,  but  had  drawn  upon 
him  most  bitter  invectives  from  his  last  employer,  who 
had  suffered  certain  losses  through  his  failing.  This 
"Captain"  (he  was  called)  swore  at  him,  and  told  him 
never  to  show  his  face  in  his  (the  Captain's)  place  again. 

But  the  man  had  been  wholly  healed  of  his  intem- 
perance, through  his  wife's  spiritual  treatments,  and  all 
appetite  for  liquor  had  left  him  forever.  Nevertheless,,  as 
he  went  to  and  fro  through  the  City  looking  for  work,  no 
one  wcruld  take  him,  because,  as  they  would  say,  "You 
said  before  you  had  sworn  off  and  would  never  drink 
again.  We  cannot  trust  you." 

The  wife  was  trying  to  help  with  her  word,  but  she 
was  young  in  the  thought  and,  needing  more  instruction, 
came  to  me  to  ask  what  to  do  next. 

"He  has  gone  everywhere  he  knows,"  she  said,  "and 
is  ready  to  go  more,  although  he  feels  it  will  not  be  any 
use,  and  that  there  must  be  another  way." 

Since  he  was  beginning  to  get  this  impression,  I  said : 

"Now  he  is  ready  to  'stand  still  and  see  the  salvation 
of  the  Lord !'  Let  him  not  go  out  of  the  house  again  for 
work,  unless  he  has  a  strong  impression  from  within,  but 
let  him  speak  the  Word :  'I  have  my  true  position,  I  am 
now  in  my  right  work.'  v 

He  did  so.  It  required  fortitude  and  strength  of 
character  to  abide  by  it.  But  he  knew  enough  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  Truth  to  wait  and  trust. 

In  a  day  or  so,  the  mail  brought  a  letter  from  that 
same  Captain,  to  whom  he  had  not  presumed  to  go,  after 
the  terrible  dismissal  he  had  received,  couched  in  polite 
language,  saying  that  he  had  heard  that  he  (the  man)  had 
been  looking  for  a  position,  and  that  there  was  an  opening 


PKOSPEKITY  43 


in  his  old  place,  if  he  desired  to  come  back.  He  took  the 
old  position,  where  he  remained  many  years  after,  until 
he  finally  went  into  business  for  himself. 

Fill  the  heart  and  mind  with  desire  to  serve,  regard- 
less of  whether  there  be  recognition  of  your  value,  or  just 
recompense  for  your  good  work,  and  there  will  gather 
within  you  a  rich  quality,  which  can  always  be  sensed  by 
a  man  of  large  outlook,  making  him  respect  your  appli- 
cation even  when  ignoring  ordinary  demands. 

A  successful  man  in  Vancouver,  who  was  attending 
a  Prosperity  Course  which  I  was  giving  in  that  city,  fur- 
nished me  with  an  example  of  the  success  of  this  method 
in  his  own  experience  as  an  employer :  A  few  days  be- 
fore, as  he  was  loading,  or  rather  superintending  the 
loading,  as  stevedore,  of  a  great  number  of  barges  with 
lumber,  two  men  came  to  him,  one  after  the  other,  ask- 
ing for  work.  It  was  not  uncommon,  and  would  have 
passed  by  unnoticed,  as  he  told  them  he  had  all  the  men 
he  wanted,  but  for  two  incidents.  The  first  was,  that  each 
did  the  same  thing  though  strangers  to  each  other.  After 
receiving  the  short,  quick  dismissal  of  the  stevedore,  who 
was  exceedingly  busy  with  a  "rush''  order,  the  first  man 
went  and  sat  on  a  pile  of  lumber  to  watch  the  workers ; 
the  second  did  the  same  thing,  sitting  down  near  the 
first  one. 

As  a  great  load  was  being  swung  around  by  a  der- 
rick, it  began  slipping,  and  the  stevedore  shouted  for  the 
other  men  to  come  to  the  rescue.  Some  were  excited, 
some  were  slow,  and  as  the  stevedore  called  for  more, 
the  man  who  had  been  second  to  ask  him  for  work,  sprang 
forward  with  the  rest,  and  gave  his  best,  not  only  then,  but 
continued  working  on  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  At  the 
close  of  the  day,  the  stevedore  touched  him  on  the  shoul- 
der, and  said,  "Come  tomorrow,  my  man,  I  want  men 
like  you !"  And  he  gave  him  the  position  next  day,  with 
the  thought  that  he  would  keep  an  eye  on  that  man.  While 


44  PROSPERITY 


the  first  applicant  was  lost  to  him  as  a  pebble  dropped 
among  many  others. 

Further  points  to  be  considered  in  obtaining  employ- 
ment, will  be  brought  out  in  our  next  lesson,  which  will 
also  be  devoted  to  the  way  out  of  debt,  and  aiding  others 
to  pay  their  indebtedness  to  us. 

Through  all  the  success  that  comes  to  us  in  our 
worldly  business,  let  us  never  forget  that  we  came  to  this 
earth  on  one  Special  Errand  alone,  and,  in  as  much  as  we 
accomplish  that  charge,  are  we  really  successful.  Truly 
there  is  but  one  Business  in  all  God's  world,  that  is,  to 
prove  our  owrn  divinity,  and  the  Godhood  of  the  whole 
race,  in  proving  that  God  is  All  there  really  is. 


V. 
Freedom  from  Debt. 

Owe  no  man  anything  but  to  love  one  another;  for  he 
that  loveth  another  hath  fulfilled  the  law.  Love  worketh  no 
ill  to  his  neighbor:  therefore,  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law. 
— The  Apostle  Paul. 

Wherever  there  is  a  sense  of  indebtedness  there  also 
is  honor ;  and  where  honor  abides,  wealth  and  power  are 
near  at  hand,  for  in  Spirit  they  are  never  separated : 
"Both  riches  and  honor  come  of  thee  and  thou  reignest 
over  all ;  and  in  thy  hand  is  power  and  might ;  and  in 
thine  hand  it  is  to  make  great,  and  to  give  strength  unto 
all,"  1  Chron.  29:12.  And  so  surely  as  a  debtor  gets 
understanding,  by  which  he  can  keep  his  trust  as  well  as 
his  honor,  he  will  never  be  harassed  by  his  creditors,  nor 
be  brought  to  shame  or  want. 

It  is  a  matter  of  wonderment  to  some  people  that  they 
are"  trusted  so  implicitly  by  their  creditors.  Yet  the  rea- 
son is  simple.  Men  are  continually  reading  each  others 
thoughts,  and  when  there  is  a  determination  to  do  right 
by  one's  neighbor,  this  state  of  mind  is  written  upon  the 
face  and  in  the  actions,  as  well  as  radiating  through  tb~ 
aura,  and  if  the  creditor  will  but  trust  his  impressions  bic 
debtor  then  becomes  simply  a  good  investment. 

As  that  wise  Jew,  Paul,  declared — and  a  spiritual 
Jew  is  a  masterly  financier — the  key  to  freedom  from  debt 
is  Love  that  seeks  the  good  of  his  neighbor  first,  last  and 
always.  For  with  Love  is  that  respect,  that  honor  that  is 
a  perpetual  magnet  for  riches,  even  though  they  are 


46  PEOSPERITY 


passed  along  as  rapidly  as  received,  and  one  may  not  ap- 
pear to  be  rich  through  accumulation.  The  truly  rich  are 
those  who  have  plenty  to  spend,  and  spend  that  plenty, 
not  those  who  have  plenty  to  save,  and  save  it.  The  miser 
is  not  rich.  The  prodigal  is  nearer  to  prosperity,  even  in 
his  ignorance,  than  the  thrifty  who  never  learns  to  spend. 

Perfect  love  casts  out  fear  as  to  one's  continuance  in 
prosperity,  and  guides  one  into  the  Way  where  indebted- 
ness is  no  burden,  but  a  convenient  and  harmonious  ar- 
rangement, where  each  is  benefited,  and  each  is  sure  of 
the  outcome. 

But  the  debts  that  we  made  in  folly  and  selfishness, 
that  hang  over  us  like  a  pall,  and  drag  upon  us  from  the 
past,  so  that  there  seems  no  deliverance  !  What  of  these  ? 
And  those  that,  it  would  seem,  could  only  be  paid  with  a 
life-time  of  labor,  and  yet  no  prospect  of  funds  lies  ahead 
of  us? 

"Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as 
white  as  snow."  Though  your  debts  be  "scarlet,"  they 
shall  all  be  cancelled,  for  such  debts  in  the  affairs  are  like 
sins  in  the  character,  and  the  Christ-law  must  be  known, 
and  applied,  to  bring  perfect  freedom.  In  the  prayer 
which  Jesus  gave  to  his  disciples,  as  a  pattern,  we  have 
this  law,  embedded  in  the  words,  "Forgive  us  our  debts 
as  we  forgive  our  debtors." 

As  you  open  the  way  by  which  your  debtors  can  be 
free  to  pay  you,  or  not,  according  to  the  great  equity  of 
God,  the  way  of  your  freedom  will  be  revealed.  Let  us 
consider  the  mental  philosophy  of  "forgiving  our  debtors," 
so  that  they  may  be  helped  to  pay  us,  if  not  with  money, 
by  something  valuable  to  us.  It  may  be  revealed  to  us 
that  an  old  score  in  some  former  existence  has  been  bal- 
anced, and  they  really  owe  us  nothing.  At  any  rate,  it  is 
not  true  for  us  to  hold  any  thought  or  feeling  against  our 
neighbors,  no  matter  how  false  their  attitude  towards  us, 
but  at  all  times  to  have  such  a  state  of  mind  regarding 


PROSPERITY  47 


them,  that  they  shall  feel  comfortable  in  our  presence,  and 
even  glad  to  think  of  us. 

People  often  keep  others  from  paying  them,  because 
of  mentally  harassing  their  debtors.  They  wonder  with 
indignation  why  so  and  so  does  not  pay  that  bill,  and  per- 
haps they  talk  him  (or  her)  over  with  a  mutual  acquaint- 
ance, until,  if  character  were  clothes,  he  would  not  have  a 
rag  to  his  back.  Perhaps  one  hears  that  the  debtor  is 
spending  money  freely — buying  luxuries — and  the  rumor 
adds  fuel  to  the  flames. 

In  the  meantime  the  debtor  is  exceedingly  uncom- 
fortable every  time  the  thought  of  that  creditor  comes 
into  mind,  and  he  shuns  him.  If  he  sees  him  coming,  he 
will  cross  the  street,  or  in  some  way  avoid  a  meeting.  He 
may  even  hate  him.  Finally,  he  succeeds  in  so  dismissing 
that  creditor  from  his  mind  that,  when  he  is  ready  to  pay 
his  debts,  that  one  does  not  come  into  mind  at  all.  This 
sense  of  uncomfortableness  is  also  the  reason  why  one  who 
has  received  a  favor  of  money  loaned,  is  so  often  not  a 
good  friend  after  that — the  burden  of  obligation  chafes 
him. 

If,  because  of  Truth,  you  will  not  think  evil  of  your 
debtor,-  that  he  is  dishonest,  or  untrue,  or  selfish,  or  weak, 
or  poverty-stricken,  but  will  hold  him  in  his  noble,  hon- 
orable, true  being,  you  will  easily  and  happily  come  into 
his  mind,  just  at  the  right  time,  with  the  desire  to  do  the 
right  thing  by  you,  and  also  the  ability.  This  was  liter- 
ally demonstrated  in  the  experience  of  a  lady,  a  student 
of  Truth,  who,  among  many  others,  had  loaned  a  man  a 
sum  of  money  who  made  a  failure  in  the  venture,  in  which 
all  the  money  had  been  sunk. 

He  left  the  town,  followed  by  anathemas  from  all 
his  creditors  but  this  lady.  She  kept  her  mind  upon  his 
true  self,  and  whenever  the  subject  of  his  delinquencies 
was  broached,  she  never  spoke  against  him,  but  always, 
"He  will  pay  me.  I  have  no  fear.  I  trust  him,"  or  words 
of  like  meaning. 


48  PROSPERITY 


Then  news  came  that  he  had  "struck  it  rich"  in 
Alaska,  but  it  brought  no  hope  to  those  creditors  who  had 
decided  that  he  was  thoroughly  bad.  But  the  lady  soon 
received  a  letter  with  the  full  amount  of  her  loan  in  it, 
and  the  words,  "You  have  never  said  one  word  against 
me,  and  so  I  pay  you  first.  The  others  can  wait."  This 
lady  exercised  the  real  forgiveness,  which  is  not  a  senti- 
ment but  a  power.  She  forgave  or  gavc-for  the  false  ap- 
pearance of  fraud,  the  true  thought  of  the  Real  Man, 
with  the  result  of  proving  that  what  she  declared  was  true. 

Our  debts  are  forgiven  us  by  the  same  process  of 
the  Law  of  the  Good — substituting  freedom-from-all-in- 
debtedness  for  the  former  bondage ;  and  healing  the  cause, 
our  weakness  or  ignorance  and  bringing  forward  our  good 
judgment  and  insight. 

With  the  new  mind,  many  errors  fall  away,  that  have 
not  been  seen  as  errors,  although  their  basis  was  some  lim- 
itation, or  belief  in  evil.  Thus  one  ceases  to  hold  back 
money  from  fear,  or  save  it  up  for  "a  rainy  day."  When 
there  comes  an  over-flow  of  money,  then  to  bank  the  sur- 
plus may  be  a  matter  of  convenience,  and  not  fear. 

There  should  be  no  waiting  for  others  to  pay  us  be- 
fore we  will  consider  paying  our  debts.  Doing  our  part 
may  supply  the  impetus  for  our  debtor  to  do  his,  as  when 
a  single  $5  piece  has  been  known  to  pay  $20  indebtedness 
in  a  family  by  being  circulated  at  the  right  moment. 

Pride  and  conventionality  are  displaced,  and  debts 
may  be  paid  in  very  small  sums  at  a  time,  and  inspiration 
guides  us  as  to  whom  payment  should  be  made  first. 
Sometimes  a  hard  thought  is  being  held  against  one,  so 
that  it  is  like  a  curse,  preventing  the  free  flow  of  one's 
blessings.  A  true  step  taken  may  relieve  the  whole  situ- 
ation. A  dollar  paid  to. a  man  who  thinks  what  you  o\ve 
him  is  a  bad  debt,  may  relieve  a  congestion  in  the  thought- 
causes  back  of  your  affairs. 

A  lady  had  been  owing  her  music-teacher  for  her 
last  lessons  over  a  year,  because  she  never  had  the 


PROSPERITY  49 


amount,  fifteen  dollars,  on  hand  when  she  thought  of 
him.  She  resolved  to  put  aside  her  pride  and  fixed  ideas 
of  how  he  should  be  paid,  and  send  him  a  dollar  at  a  time 
until  the  debt  \vas  cancelled.  After  mailing  a  letter  of 
apology  enclosing  the  dollar,  she  received  a  most  cordial 
reply  full  of  protestations  that  she  did  not  owe  him  any- 
thing, begging  her  to  dismiss  all  thought  about  it,  as  she 
had  paid  him  many  times  more  than  that  amount  in 
pupils,  to  whom  she  had  recommended  him.  The  at- 
tempt she  had  made  well  repaid  her;  for  not  only  was 
the  debt  cancelled,  but  the  expression  of  appreciation 
that  she  received  was  a  surprise  and  a  delight,  as  she  had 
not  considered  the  favor  she  was  doing  him,  but  only  the 
benefit  she  was  conferring  on  those  who  became  his 
pupils. 

Through  meditating  on  the  divine  desire  within  you 
to  bless  your  neighbors,  there  will  rise  a  joy  in  paying 
them.  Also,  a  faith  that  others  enjoy  paying  you,  and 
you  will  not  dread,  nor  hate,  to  present  a  bill. 

Sometimes  letters  and  other  papers  are  so  embued 
with  the  fals'e  thoughts  which  are  held  when  they  were 
being  prepared,  that  they  come  like  a  blow,  or  an  insult, 
and  quite  miss  their  intention.  An  illustration  of  this 
fact  was  given  me  by  a  member  of  one  of  my  classes : 
Miss  M.,  a  healer  and  teacher,  had  given  many  treat- 
ments and  lessons  to  a  wealthy  lady,  who  had  made  no 
movement  towards  payment,  and  finally  Miss  M.  con- 
cluded that  she  was  waiting  for  a  bill.  Feeling  it  to  be 
thoughtless  on  the  part  of  her  patient  to  wait  for  a  bill, 
and  with  a  combination  of  resentment,  impatience  and 
indignation,  she  sat  down  and  wrote  the  bill  and  mailed 
it.  Now  the  lady  was  generous  and  just,  and  also,  a  good 
student  of  Truth.  If  she  had  not  been,  Miss  M.  would 
have  waited  long  for  her  money. 

"For,"  the  lady  said,  "the  moment  I  took  the  bill  in 
my  hand,  I  had  such  a  feeling  of  resentment,  impatience 
and  indignation  against  you,  that  I  almost  threw  the  bill 


50  PROSPERITY 


into  the  waste-basket,  with  the  vow  that  I  wouldn't  pay 
you  for  a  month !  Then  I  remembered  my  principles, 
and  instantly  I  knew  that  those  were  your  feelings  about 
me,  and  I  had  been  reflecting  them,  and  I  immediately 
came  down  here  to  pay  you.  Be  careful,  young  lady, 
what  you  think,  when  you  send  out  bills !" 

The  question  has  sometimes  risen,  ought  we  to  con- 
tract debts  when  there  is  no  money  in  sight  to  pay  them? 
Unless  there  is  the  true  supreme  assurance  from  within, 
that  the  money  to  pay  such  debts  is  already  on  the  way, 
it  is  better  to  fast  and  pray  until  such  assurance  come, 
than  to  put  oneself  to  too  great  a  test.  The  demonstra- 
tion of  faith  is  not  the  venturing  into  debts,  but  the  reali- 
zation of  the  means  to  meet  debts,  even  before  they  are 
contracted. 

In  accordance  with  the  statement  given  in  our  last 
lesson,  I  will  herewith  give  some  further  thoughts  about 
obtaining  employment. 

Keep  well  in  mind  the  understanding  that  you  are 
no  mere  machine,  but  always  a  brother,  and  a  fellow- 
man — a  sister  and  a  member  of  God's  family.  There  is 
nothing  so  interesting  to  personalities  as  personality,  and 
especially  a  personality  that  is  also  interested  in  person- 
alities. Approach  those  from  whom  you  expect  favors 
with  interest  in  your  face,  that  has  sprung  from  com- 
muning with  the  Spirit  within  them,  and  whether  the 
favor  be  granted  or  not,  take  the  decision  as  from  the 
Spirit  at  that  moment  —  not  necessarily  final  —  and  so 
maintain  a  high  standard  of  respect  between  you.  It  will 
not  be  forgotten  and  next  time  you  apply,  it  will  be 
easier  to  get  into  the  "good  graces"  of  the  one  in  power. 

Some  good  advice  was  given  to  a  young  man,  who 
had  been  spending  days  looking  for  work,  until  he  was 
greatly  discouraged.  The  man  who  gave  the  advice,  had 
just  made  the  stereotyped  reply,  "Sorry,  but  I've  nothing 
for  you,"  and  as  the  young  fellow  was  turning  sadly 
away,  he  added : 


PROSPERITY  51 


"But  young  man,  I  can  give  you  a  piece  of  advice, 
which,  if  you  take  it,  will  get  you  a  position  soon.  It  is 
this.  Never  again  approach  an  employer  with  that 
gloomy  face.  Smile,  look  cheerful  and  you'll  succeed." 

The  young  man  thanked  him  and  put  it  into  practice. 
As  he  kept  thinking  upon  cheerfulness,  and  smilingly  re- 
ceived one  refusal  after  another,  he  grew  light-hearted 
until,  at  the  last  place  he  applied — a  coal  yard — as  the 
same  old  answer  was  given  him,  he  turned  and  went 
through  the  yard  whistling  a  merry  tune.  The  man 
called  him  back. 

"You  seem  to  be  a  pretty  cheerful  fellow !  I 
like  such  men  round  me.  Come  here  tomorrow,  and  T 
think  I  can  make  a  place  for  you." 

He  received  work  from  that  time,  and  never  forgot 
the  valuable  advice  of  his  stranger-friend. 

Never  expect  to  succeed  by  appealing  to  another's 
pity  or  sympathy;  nor  by  bringing  forward  your  need  or 
lack,  weakness  or  ignorance.  Let  your  main  thought 
ever  be,  "How  can  I  serve  you  ?" 

A  few  aphorisms  are  added  for  your  meditation : 

Riches  are  a  state  of  mind.  Richness  should  circu- 
late through  our  affairs  as  air  does  in  the  lungs. 

Nothing  succeeds  so  well  as  success ;  nothing  pros- 
pers so  well  as  prosperity ;  therefore  never  put  on  a  "poor 
mouth." 

Freedom  in  giving  and  receiving  is  the  law  of 
healthy  supply.  The  Lord  [Prosperity]  loveth  a  cheerful 
giver. 

Do  not  save  up  for  a  "rainy  day" ;  for  they  will  come 
as  long  as  you  prepare  for  them. 

Money  must  not  be  clutched.     It  loves  freedom. 
Carry  yourself  as  one  who  owns  the  earth,  for  you  do. 
Business  instinct  is  spiritual  intuition  applied  to  af- 
fairs. 


52  PROSPERITY 


Money  invested  in  spiritual  things  is  not  loss,  but 
gain,  an  hundred-fold. 

"Consider  the  lilies  how  they  grow."  They  have  a 
law  within  themselves  by  which  they  draw  to  themselves 
their  own  sustenance. 

Get  into  the  current  of  the  stream  of  Prosperity  and 
your  boat  will  be  carried  along  all  right  without  inter- 
fering with  your  neighbor. 


VI. 
The  Rich  Mentality. 

Lay  up   for  yourselves   treasures   in   heaven. —  Matt.  6:20. 

A  good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the  heart  bringeth 
forth  good  things. — Matt.  12:35. 

They  shall  prosper  that  love  thee. — Ps.  122:6. 

Then  shalt  thou  prosper  if  thou  takest  heed  to  fulfill  the 
statutes  and  judgments. —  i  Chron.  22:13, 

Why  transgress  ye  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  that 
ye  cannot  prosper?  because  ye  have  forsaken  the  Lord  he  hath 
also  forsaken  you. — 2  Chron.  24:20. 

Acquaint  now  thyself  with  him  and  be  at  peace:  thereby 
shall  good  come  unto  thee.  Eeceive  I  pray  thee  the  law  from 
his  mouth  and  lay  up  his  words  in  thine  heart.  If  thou  return 
to  the  Almighty  thou  shalt  be  built  up  ...  Then  shalt  thou 
lay  up  gold  as  dust  and  the  gold  of  Ophir  as  the  stones  of  the 
brooks.  Yea,  the  Almighty  shall  be  thy  defense  and  thou  shalt 
have  plenty  of  silver. — Job  22:21  to  25. 

Riches  are  primarily  a  state  of  mind  and  not  a  mat- 
ter of  accumulation  of  money  or  things.  Having  a  rich 
mind  will  necessarily  be  represented  by  plenty  of  the 
world's  goods,  either  in  possession,  or  at  command ;  but 
to  have  millions,,  and  to  lack  the  fertility  of  mind  to  place 
them,  is  to  be  like  the  mule  that  bears  rich  ore  on  his  back 
out  of  the  mine — he  knows  only  the  burden  of  it  and  none 
of  the  richness. 

Men  and  women  of  assured  income,  who  have  not 
known  the  interior  wealth,  have  led  miserable  lives  of 
fear,  lest  thieves  should  rob  them  of  everything,  and  some 
have  gone  insane  with  the  dread  of  poverty,  and  spent 
the  last  days  of  their  earthly  existence  in  hourly  expect- 


54  PROSPERITY 


ation  of  being  sent  to  the  poor  house  because  of  their  indi- 
gency.  Paupers  in  mind,  they  cannot  recognize  riches 
when  they  stare  them  in  the  face. 

Therefore  the  wisdom  of  the  great  Philosopher  of 
Life :  Seek  first  to  be  rich  towards  God  and  let  the 
earthly  riches  follow.  For  then  is  the  problem  taken  hold 
of  at  the  right  end,  at  its  source,  and  one  escapes  the  folly 
of  so  many  poor  ones  who  have  put  the  cart  before  the 
horse,  seeking  riches  first  and  the  spiritual  life  last. 

Everyone  who  comes  into  the  world  has  a  rich  aura, 
the  gift  of  his  heavenly  Father — it  is  his  "living"  from  the 
Source  of  all  wealth.  Most  of  us  seem  to  have  been  prod- 
igal sons,  letting  our  rich  consciousness  be  frittered  away 
by  the  delusions  of  sense,  until  we  find  ourselves  bound 
to  mortality,  and  far  from  happiness,  heaven,  our  home. 
But  we  know  that  even  then,  if  we  only  remember  and 
"come  to  ourselves,"  we  can  return  to  the  rich  conscious- 
ness by  keeping  our  face  steadily  towards  our  Father's 
house,  that  is,  "seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness." 

The  rich  aura  that  surrounds  and  fills  each  of  us,  is 
the  reflection  of  the  Divine  Mind,  and  it  contains  all  the 
elements  of  every  expression  of  richness  upon  the  face 
of  the  whole  earth.  Its  thoughts  of  goodness  are  the 
reality  of  gold;  its  consciousness  of  freedom  lies  back  of 
the  silver;  its  purity  is  the  substance  of  the  diamond  and 
all  its  virtues  are  portrayed  in  the  gems  of  the  earth.  Its 
life  fructifies  the  very  soil,  its  beauty  and  grace  determine 
the  forms  of  fruit  and  flower.  Its  culture  pictures  forth 
in  the  arts  of  man,  according  to  what  development  man 
has  given  himself  towards  that  Rich  Mentality. 

As  long  as  man  looks  outside  himself  for  all  the 
causes  of  his  fortune  or  misfortune,  he  does  not  find  this 
law  of  thought  and  feeling,  by  which  he  may  be  pros- 
pered. In  man's  attitude  towards  this  Rich  Mentality, 
which  is  in  truth  his  Divine  Mind,  lies  the  explanation 
of  many  a.n  unusual  experience  in  his  life. 


PROSPERITY  55 


Certain  habitual  thoughts  and  feelings  towards  God 
and  the  spiritual  life  have  made  a  man's  fields  yield  more 
richly  than  his  neighbors,  although  in  every  other  respect 
the  soil  and  the  seed  were  the  same.  Crops  have  been 
delivered  from  pests,  and  also  protected,  so  that  a  blight 
or  frost  or  other  enemy  could  not  harm  them.  Illustrat- 
ing this,  a  story  was  told  the  writer  by  a  student,  about 
his  father,  who  had  a  remarkable  proof  that  a  "praying 
man"  comes  under  divine  protection,  even  in  his  fields. 

This  gentleman  said  that  his  father,  Mr.  N.,  was  a 
successful  farmer  in  England,  who,  in  raising  potatoes, 
had  united  with  a  number  of  his  neighbors  in  leasing  a 
long  strip  of  land,  dividing  it  so  that  every  farmer  had 
two  long  rows  of  potato-hills.  They  bought  seed  together, 
ploughed  and  sowed  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  N.  had  a 
most  practical  idea  of  the  presence  and  power  of  God  in 
a  man's  affairs,  and  so  while  planting  his  seed,  he  invoked 
the  blessing  of  the  Almighty  upon  it,  for  he  believed'  that 
all  his  prosperity  came  through  remembering  God  in  all 
his  ways. 

When  the  time  came  to  gather  the  potatoes,  the 
farmers  found  that  a  potato  disease  called  "dry-rot," 
which  appeared  that  year  for  the  first  time  in  England, 
had  attacked  every  tuber,  making  almost  a  total  loss  to 
each  farmer  but  Mr.  N.  For  when  he  turned  over  the 
soil  in  the  two  long  rows  of  hillocks,  not  one  potato  in  the 
whole  of  his  tract  had  been  touched.  This  made  a  very 
deep  impression  upon  all  the  country  round,  especially  as 
Mr.  N.  ascribed  his  protection  to  the  goodness  of  God  in 
answering  his  direct  and  believing  prayers  for  the  yield 
of  his  field. 

All  that  one  puts  his  hand  to  comes  into  this  Divine 
Aura,  and  if  a  man  consciously,  or  unconsciously,  co- 
operates with  it  and  fulfills  its  laws,  that  will  take  place, 
that  is  written  (Ps.  1:23)  "whatsoever  he  doeth  shall 
prosper." 

This  Rich  Mentality  might  be  compared  to  g,  field  of 


56  PEOSPERITY 


rich  soil  which  each  one  owns.  If  it  seems  unyielding  as 
to  prosperity,  then  it  is  not  recognized  and  cultivated.  It 
may  be  like  a  wilderness,  full  of  weeds,  yet  yielding  a  cer- 
tain increase.  Such  are  the  fields  of  the  spendthrift,  the 
sordid  and  the  care-ridden.  Perhaps  it  is  unwatered,  like 
the  Great  American  Desert,  which  has  been  proven  to  be 
so  fertile  when  well  irrigated.  Then  ignorance  of  this 
great  law.  of  prosperity  is  the  cause,  or  a  forgetting  the 
truth  about  oneself,  one's  source  and  powers. 

The  desire  in  the  heart  of  a  man  to  be  self-support- 
ing and  independent  is  because  such  is  the  divine  inten- 
tion. The  revelation  of  this  inner  eternal  supply  estab- 
lishes the  consciousness  of  endless  prosperity.  "As  the 
Father  hath  life  in  himself;  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son 
to  have  life  in  himself,"  John  5  :26. 

Richness  circulates  through  the  body  of  one's  affairs, 
as  air  in  the  body  of  flesh.  And  as,  through  intelligence 
and  power,  one  controls  the  breath,  so  should  the  welfare 
of  our  circumstances  be  subject  to  our  mind. 

A  lady  in  Southern  California  realized  this  power 
of  control  once,  to  the  great  advantage  of  an  important 
crop.  Her  home  was  in  the  midst  of  a  large  orange  grove 
which  was  then  in  full  bearing,  and  promising  a  fine 
revenue  that  winter,  with  which  they  hoped  to  recuperate 
their  fortune,  and  once  more  be  on  their  feet.  She  had 
a  neighbor  whose  financial  history  had  been  almost  identi- 
cal with  her  own,  for  both,  with  their  husbands,  had 
invested  in  adjoining  lands,  planted  and  raised  orange 
trees,  which  had  already  yielded  several  crops.  But  the 
neighbor  did  not  believe  in  the  power  of  mind,  but  scoffed 
and  antagonized  so  much,  that  the  lady  ceased  to  refer 
to  the  Truth  and  its  powers  in  her  presence. 

One  night  a  report  was  carried  through  the  town, 
that  they  were  liable  to  have  a  black  frost  before  morn- 
ing, and  that  every  man  had  better  "smudge"  and  so  save 
his  orchard.  "Smudging''  (some  may  not  know),  is  pro- 
ducing a  smoke  from  specially  built  fires,  thus  warming 


PROSPERITY  57 


the  air  and  keeping  it  moving  so  that  the  cold  air  cannot 
bite  the  tender  fruit.  Now  it  so  happened  that  the  hus- 
bands of  both  ladies  were  away.  The  neighbor  came  in 
wringing  her  hands  and  crying,  "What  shall  we  do !  No 
one  to  help  us — we  cannot  do  it  alone — our  crop  will  be 
ruined !" 

The  lady,  Mrs.  R.,  tried  to  console  her  but  her  own 
heart  was  heavy,  and  she  had  little  success.  After  the 
neighbor  returned,  she  walked  the  floor  trying  to  calm 
herself  with  Truth,  repeating  over  statements  as  to  the 
allness  of  good,  and  the  nothingness  of  evil,  in  every 
variety  of  declaration,  that  came  to  her.  Presently  her 
faithfulness  was  rewarded.  She  remembered  what  her 
teacher  had  said,  as  to  the  power  of  Mind  to  go  forth 
and  heal  the  plants,  and  she  spoke  aloud :  "God  can  pro- 
tect my  orchard !  The  presence  of  God  is  there,  and  even 
now  folds  it  round  about,  and  keeps  it  from  every  harm- 
ful thing."  She  remembered  "there  shall  no  evil  come 
nigh  thy  dwelling" ;  she  recited  the  91st  Psalm ;  she  re- 
membered the  words  spoken  to  Job  beginning,  "He  shall 
deliver  thee  in  six  troubles"  including  "neither  shalt  thou 
be  afraid  of  destruction"  and  ending  "the  beasts  of  the 
field  shall  be  at  peace  with  thee"  (Job  5:19  to  23)  and 
she  was  filled  with  trust  and  a  mighty  consciousness  of 
power.  An  impression  came  to  her  of  her  orchard,  being 
covered  over,  as  with  a  great  canvas,  and  she  lay  down 
upon  her  pillow  and  slept  like  a  child  until  morning. 

The  black  frost  came,  and  every  orchard,  that  had 
not  been  smudged,  came  woefully  under  the  blight. 
Every  orchard  but  that  of  Mrs.  R.  in  which  not  one 
orange  was  touched,  although  her  neighbor's  crop  was 
a  total  loss. 

It  was  a  nine-days  wonder  and  many  were  the  con- 
gratulations. She  was  young  in  the  thought,  and  told 
no  one  of  her  prayers,  although  her  neighbor  suspected 
the  source  of  her  victory,  for  she  never  again  scoffed 
at  her  belief. 


58  PROSPERITY 


When  discouragement  and  despondency  settle  down 
upon  a  man,  or  when  discord,  misunderstanding  or  bitter- 
ness distract  and  tear  the  inner  man,  his  very  cattle  and 
his  other  creatures  show  forth  his  state  of  mind  in  their 
condition.  Lift  up  your  mind,  get  hold  of  the  Spirit, 
throw  off  those  mean  feelings  as  you  would  shake  off  the 
flakes  of  snow  before  entering  a  warm  room. 

Practice  repeating  words  of  cheer  and  spiritual 
promises,  and  meditate  upon  the  very  opposite  thoughts 
to  those  that  .drag  you  down,  until  there  comes  an  inner 
change.  And  the  longer  it  takes  you,  the  more  should 
be  your  persistence — the  fact  of  its  taking  so  long  shows 
how  sadly  you  needed  the  practice.  Remove  the  curse 
from  that  unrented  house,  by  mentally  filling  it  with 
loving,  attractive  thoughts,  changing  its  atmosphere  from 
that  deadening,  repelling  character  that  people  feel,  even 
as  they  approach  a  place,  making  them  decide  against  it 
before  examining  it.  Read  Isaiah  35  and  11:1  to  9  and 
65:16  to  25  and  give  your  mind  and  heart  to  the  fairest 
pictures  of  concord  and  harmony  that  they  raise. 

You  are  not  building  up  this  Rich  Mentality.  It  is 
already  there  in  all  its  fullness  and  perfection.  It  is 
your  part  to  uncover  it,  to  co-operate  with  it,  to  believe 
in  it.  Then  like  the  lilies  of  the  field,  the  law  that  is 
within  you  can  operate  and  draw  your  own  to  you. 

We  perpetually  remember  that  the  one  who  is  pros- 
pered by  a  knowledge  of  Truth  brings  prosperity  to  the 
whole  earth,  for  he  draws  heaven  into  the  earth,  and 
Love  is  the  law  of  his  life,  causing  him  ever  to  lead  his 
fellow-beings  to  the  same  law  within  themselves  that  he 
has  found  in  himself. 

As  vines  that  are  pruned,  only  bear  the  better  and 
fuller  fruits,  so  let  us  see  all  the  forms  of  hardship 
and  wrong  and  failure  through  which  we  may  have 
passed  in  former  days,  but  as  the  times  of  our  pruning, 
and  because  we  are  alive  let  us  know  that  Life  to  be 
Prosperity  itself,  the  Rich  Mentality,  containing  the 


PEOSPERITY 


59 


greatest  fortune  that  earth  has  ever  known.  And  now 
is  the  time  and  here  is  the  place  that  we  prove  ourselves 
the  masterful  Word  of  the  Almighty,  pressing  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  into  the  earth,  until  poverty  shall  be 
known  no  more,  nor  any  poor,  but  all  shall  come  to  their 
thrones,  glorified  Sons  and  Daughters  of  the  Most  High. 


Part  II 
Six  Spiritual  Treatments 


EXPLANATORY 


In  the  following  Treatments,  the  first  thing  that  is 
considered  is  the  right  attitude  that  one  should  take  in 
the  home-life,  so  that  the  Truth  may  work  in  our  secret 
thoughts  and  feelings,  when  our  life  seems  separated 
from  business  and  we  are  tiot  being  put  to  the  test  in 
strenuous  affairs. 

The  second  consists  of  a  meditation  to  read,  letting 
the  ideas  sink  into  the  heart,  and  bring  forth  original 
observations,  of  which  the  student  should  make  notes  in 
a  convenient  note-book. 

The  third  is  the  Treatment  which  is  to  be  read  for 
oneself,  as  though  the  Inner  Voice  was  uttering  the 
words,  and  our  spiritual  reason  confirming  them. 

The  Treatments  proper  always  begin  with  Listen 
to  Me! 

Not  only  read  them  for  yourself,  but  silently  read 
them  to  others,  wrho  are  feeling  stress  in  their  circum- 
stances. Be  orderly  in  this,  and  write  down  the  names 
of  those  whom  you  are  treating,  and  the  times  of  treat- 
ment. And  seek  to  realize  what  you  are  saying  to  them. 

In  giving  these  treatments  to  yourself  or  to  others, 
pause  with  impressive  realization  at  each  mark,  and  if 
the  Word  is  doing  its  work,  there  will  come  a  definite 
feeling  of  power  and  satisfaction,  both  to  the  healer  and 
the  one  being  healed. 

Even  though  this  feeling  does  not  come  at  first,  the 
Truth  in  the  words  will  do  the  work,  often  to  the  sur- 
prise of  the  young  student,  whose  faith  is  weak  or  un- 
developed. 

Remember  the  virtue  there  is  in  Repetition  and  as 
one  progresses  more  rapidly  in  learning  a  language,  or 


64  PROSPERITY 


acquiring  an  art,  by  having  the  lessons  close  together 
and  the  practice  constant,  so  it  is  in  the  spiritual  acquisi- 
tion of  the  prospering  power.  Missionaries  give  the  first 
two  years  of  their  noviate — almost  all  the  waking 
hours  of  each  day — to  learning  the  language  of  those 
whom  they  have  come  to  save.  The  human  mind  seems 
slow.  Let  us  possess  ourselves  in  patience  and  in  due 
time  we  shall  reap. 


VII. 
In  the  Quiet  of  the  Home 

The  real  Home  of  each  one  of  us  is  Heaven  and  the 
bitter  home-sickness  of  so  many  of  the  race  will  never 
be  healed  until  Heaven  is  found  within. 

For  the  longing  of  men  and  women  for  a  spot  that 
they  can  call  "home"  is  but  a  form  of  spiritual  home- 
sickness. And  the  Student  of  Truth  is  wise  who  will 
not  seek  the  healing  of  that  malady  through  acquiring 
the  outer  home,  for,  without  the  conscious  union  with 
Heaven  within,  they  will  only  acquire  burdens  with  the 
house,  that  they  desire  to  be  their  home. 

But  by  developing  the  home-realization  within,  every 
place  \vhere  they  shall  relax  and  spend  the  quiet  hours 
of  their  lives,  will  be  a  happy  nest — a  sheltering  abode — 
drawing  others  with  its  home-charm,  as  well  as  express- 
ing their  own  deep,  holy  peace. 

In  the  quiet  of  your  abiding  place,  be  it  a  flat  or 
a  garret,  farm-house  or  hotel,  bungalow  or  hall-bedroom, 
radiate  the  richness  of-  your  Soul,  until  the  transforma- 
tion of  your  room,  will  reveal  the  achievement  of  your 
true  thoughts. 

Never  take  the  worries  of  your  business  into  the 
family  life.  Take  your  faith  there,  when  you  consult 
your  loved  ones  as  to  your  affairs.  The  only  connec- 
tion, that  there  should  be  between  your  business  and 
your  home,  is  that  of  spiritual  cheer  and  an  abiding 
scientific  optimism. 


66  PROSPERITY 


As  you  stand  at  your  front  door  say,  "Peace  be 
unto  this  house!"  And  be  sure  that  you  never  let  your 
peace  depart  from  you !  Hold  your  peace  forever ! 

TREATMENT  I.— THE  HIGHROAD  OF  PROSPERITY. 

Meditation.  "Come,  let  us  reason  together!"  God 
is  the  true  source  of  all  the  riches  in  the  earth — "The 
silver  is  mine  and  the  gold  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts"  (Haggai  2:8)  and  you  are  the  offspring  of  the 
Most  High,  heir  of  all  the  richness  of  God  and  you  are 
here  to  express  that  richness  through  this  body  and  in 
this  world. 

There  is  a  Highway  of  Prosperity — the  King's  High- 
way— the  road  up  the  Mountain  of  supreme  success,  that 
has  an  easy  grade,  where  the  travel  is  ever  smooth,  and 
where  they  that  walk  therein  know  no  more  worry  or 
fear,  or  strife  or  hard  times,  or  slavish  work  or  failure. 
They  live  and  let  live,  and  they  are  consciously  secure, 
forever,  from  all  sense  of  deprivation  or  lack. 

The  uninstructed  follow  by-paths  in  seeking  their 
wealth,  where  there  is  much  stumbling  and  blindness 
of  chance,  where  burdens  pile  up,  but  the  travellers  never 
reach  the  heights.  All  these  sidetracks  end  in  gullies  and 
pits.,  for  all  that  is  gained  must  eventually  be  given  up. 
Men  enter  them  as  short-cuts  to  wealth,  and  though 
some  of  them  cross  the  real  Road,  so  intoxicated  are 
these  wanderers,  that  they  know  not  the  Way  even  when 
their  feet  press  its  fair  tfack,  long  miles  at  a  time. 

The  right  view  of  Prosperity  as  God's  own  presence, 
not  to  be  refused  or  despised,  but  to  be  seen  as  the  legiti- 
mate expression  of  the  spiritual  life,  comes  to  "the  man 
whose  eyes  are  open/'  and  he  seeks  understanding  so 
as  to  think  and  feel,  speak  and  act  according  to  the 
Law  that  operates,  to  make  bodies  healthy  and  circum- 
stances wealthy,  as  one  and  the  same  work.  The  body 


PROSPERITY  67 


is   wealthy  that  has   health,   and   the  -  circumstances   are 
healthy  that  have  wealth. 


Listen  to  me!  The  Highroad  of  God's  Prosperity 
is  unlimited  wealth,  ^  riches  that  are  eternal  **  and  the 
Life  that  is  endless  ease  and  comfort.  ^  This  blessed 
Road  is  not  far  from  you ;  ^  it  is  not  divided  and  set 
off  from  your  life  *  or  the  life  of  anyone.  **  For  it  is 
the  Omnipresence  of  God.** 

Because  this  Highroad  to  prosperity  is  the  omni- 
presence of  God,  **  you  are  in  it  now,  *  you  cannot  miss 
the  Way.  <*  Your  mind  is  set  right  now.  ^  And  mind 
being  the  cause  of  all  that  manifests  in  your  life,  *  its 
right  thinking  will  show  forth  right  conditions  in  your 
affairs.  *  Your  Father  is  rich.  **  Your  Father  has 
"enough  and  to  spare"  *  and  His  decree  is  that  you  shall 
prosper  *  in  whatsoever  you  put  your  hand  to.  ** 

Your  heritage  is  boundless  wealth  ^  and  the  Wise 
One  within  you  ^  reveals  to  you  the  laws  **  by  which 
your  own  comes  to  you.  *  Jesus  knew  the  deep  laws  of 
Spirit  **  by  which  he  could  pay  his  taxes,  *  furnish  the 
finest  wines  for  the  feast,  **  and  feed  multitudes  with 
overflowing  abundance.  ^  You  have  the  same  Intelli- 
gence in  you,  *  for  it  is  the  Mind  of  God  *  opening  up  the 
Way  of  your  supply.  ** 

Now  you  are  on  the  Highroad  to  the  riches  ^  that 
will  never  fail.  *  You  are  coming  out  of  mortality's 
dream.  ^  As  a  mortal  you  have  been  rich  a  thousand 
times  in  lives  gone  by.  *  What  did  it  profit  you  ?  Noth- 
ing. *  Now  temporal  richness  is  finished.  ^  Enter  into 
the  riches  **  "prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world."  *  Because  you  seek  the  riches  of  God  first,  ** 
you  must  have  the  other  also.  **  It  is  the  law.  *  You 
have  the  Word  of  Christ  for  it.  *  Being  rich  towards 
God,  *  rich  in  loving  service  to  humanity,  **  rich  in 


68  PROSPERITY 


goodness  of  character,  *  rich  in  holy  wisdom  and  devo- 
tion to  God  and  His  Christ,  **  you  cannot  miss  the  riches 
of  the  world.  * 

God's  prosperity  flows  to  you  without  effort.  ^  It 
is  the  divine  gift.  ^  It  comes,  not  by  hard  work  of  head 
or  hand,  *  but  by  the  Spirit.  *  Inspiration  leads  you 
to  your  expression  of  happy  usefulness.  ^  You  find  the 
work  you  love  to  do,  **  and  it  pays.  ^ 

Debts  are  no  part  of  your  life.  ^  The  light  of  the 
Christ-mind  shines  on  your  Way,  ^  and  shows  you  how 
to  cancel  every  debt.  ^  Spirit  keeps  your  mind  at  ease.  ** 
You  need  never  worry.  ^  Worry  never  does  anything.  ^ 
Now  you  let  trust-in-the- Almighty-Good  displace  all 
anxiety,  **  and  give  you  rest.  ^  What  is  to  be  ^  of  God's 
good  state  and  accomplishment,  ^  is  done  already.  ^ 
Therefore  your  debts  are  already  paid  in  the  divine 
Mind.  ^  Honor  and  equity  take  you  out  of  indebted- 
ness. ^  You  are  not  a  debtor,  **  you  are  a  good  invest- 
ment. ^  You  make  rich  returns.  ^  You  are  a  Bank, 
not  a  bankrupt.  **  The  law  of  the  Spirit  in  Christ  Jesus 
makes  you  free.  ^ 

Every  day  brings  you  fresh  inspiration.  **  Every 
night  brings  you  innocent  sleep  and  righteous  rest.  ^ 

Every  experience  means  the  closer  communion  with 
God.  **  Nothing  can  daunt  you.  **  Nothing  can  dis- 
courage you.  **  You  touch  the  Highroad  of  God's  pros- 
perity ^  and  you  are  wafted  along  the  Way  on  winged 
feet.  **  Honor  and  riches  are  yours,  ^  and  your  peace 
no  man  can  take  from  you  ^  now  and  forever  more.  ^ 

IT  IS  DONE. 


VIII. 
Prosperity  Begins  at  Home 

Every  household  can  prove  itself  a  center  for  the 
expression  of  God's  prosperity,  no  matter  how  small  its 
beginnings  may  be.  As  a  mighty  oak  is  but  a  spindling 
twig  at  first,  but,  through  faith  in  itself,  and  the  loving 
encouragement  and  protection  of  nature,  becomes  the 
tower  of  strength,  that  is  the  admiration  of  all  that  behold 
it,  so  one's  spiritual  demonstration  of  prosperity  may 
seem  a  \veakling  at  first.  But,  if  you  temper  the  winds 
of  fierce  race-suggestions  of  the  reality  of  poverty,  and 
keep  your  faith  steadily  centered  in  the  rich  God-life 
that  dwells  within,  your  prosperity  will  prove  itself  an 
established  presence,  that  no  fluctuations  among  the  na- 
tions, or  untrueness  among  individuals,  can  move  or 
destroy — your  wealth,  like  your  health,  will  be  eternal. 

But  let  no  home  work  for  itself  alone,  and  neglect 
its  neighbor.  For  the  joy  of  demonstrating  God's  pres- 
ence, in  any  form,  is  that  that  consciousness  can  be  given 
to  our  world.  Sometimes  one  must  consider  one's  world 
first,  in  order  to  come  to  one's  individual  expression  of 
prosperity ;  for  there  is  always  a  stage,  where  selfishness 
must  pass  away,  that  one  may  go  on  into  greater  power 
and  prosperity. 

It  may  seem  that  selfishness  has  given  people  pros- 
perity, but  that  manifestation  is  crossed  and  recrossed 
with  decay  and  death,  and  only  the  spiritually  ignorant 
will  walk  that  path.  What  are  millions  to  you  if  they 


70  PROSPERITY 

cannot  save  your  life,  or  heal  you  of  blindness,  or  bring 
you  love?  Yet  thousands  are  dying,  or  going  into  insane 
asylums,  or  leading  a  life  of  sorrow,  whom  the  world 
envy  because  of  their  wealth. 

The  riches  that  come  through  Truth  are  permanent, 
and  are  companioned  by  all  the  joys  of  heaven,  because 
they  are  not  confined  to  property  and  affairs,  but  are  uni- 
versal, and  express  themselves  through  every  department 
of  our  being. 

TREATMENT   II.     RICHES,   THE   GIFT  OF  GOD. 

Meditation.  The  Laws  of  Spiritual  Prosperity  are 
the  very  reverse  of  the  laws  of  worldly  prosperity.  In 
divine  economy,  you  do  not  gain  by  "saving  up  for 
rainy  days,"  you  do  not  lose  by  spending,  the  more  you 
give  away  the  more  you  have.  You  do  not  earn  divine 
riches,  therefore  you  do  not  have  to  work  hard  for  them, 
either  mentally  or  physically. 

It  belongs  to  your  creative  consciousness  to  love 
to  work,  and  by  fearlessness  concerning  supply  and  sup- 
port, you  can  gravitate  to  your  congenial  work,  which  will 
be  valued  highly  by  the  world  because  art  will  enter  into 
it.  "Art  is  love  for  one's  work/' — Elbert  Hubbard. 

Time  and  wages  belong  to  slaves.  We  come  out 
of  Egypt  by  ceasing  "to  work  for  a  living"  in  our  mind. 
Whatever  work  you  are  engaged  in  now,  become  an 
artist  in  it,  by  putting  soul  into  your  service.  Educate 
yourself  to  find  divinity  in  your  work  and  in  your  asso- 
ciates, whether  employer  or  employees.  When  you  have 
learned  your  lesson,  you  will  graduate  easily  into  a  con- 
genial, because  your  own,  vocation. 

The  Spirit  knows  spirit  only,  and  in  its  realm  there 
is  no  bargaining,  no  buying  and  selling,  no  wages,  no 
hirelings,  no  laborers,  no  rewards  or  punishments,  no 
merit  or  demerit,  no  deserving,  and  no  unworthy,  ones. 


PEOSPEEITY  71 


All  is  Love,  and  everything  is  done  for  Love,  and  all 
the  fruits  of  Love  are  gifts. 


Listen  to  me!  The  substance  of  Prosperity  is 
spiritual  **  and  it  enfolds  you  and  fills  you,  *  breath  of 
your  breath  *  and  the  fullness  and  perfection  of  your 
life.  **  This  rich  substance  is  a  gift  to  you,  ^  it  came 
with  you  into  the  world;  **  you  never  earned  it  ^  and 
so  it  can  never  be  taken  from  you.  ^ 

Riches  are  yours  **  whether  you  deserve  it  or  not.  * 
You  are  a  Prince  with  God.  **  Princes  are  rich  with- 
out earning  their  wealth.  **  You  are  heir  with  Christ,  ** 
and  all,  that  the  Father  hath,  is  yours.  **  The  silver  and 
the  gold  are  mine  saith  the  Lord  ^  and  all  that  the 
Father  hath  is  mine,  saith  the  Christ.  ** 

Your  Good  takes  care  of  you.  ^  As  you  were 
nourished  and  protected  from  the  beginning,  so  now.  ^ 
You  came  with  a  world  of  wealth.  ^  Now  by  the  power 
of  God  within  you,  ^  you  draw  it  into  manifestation.  ^ 

You  lay  up  riches  in  your  heart.  ^  God  gives  you 
Trust  in  place  of  worriment.  ^  God  gives  you  Faith  in 
place  of  fear.  *  God  gives  you  Forgiveness  to  take 
the  place  of  bitterness.  ^  God  gives  you  Inspiration 
and  takes  away  plodding.  **  God  gives  you  Insight 
instead  of  scheming.  ^  God  gives  you  Interest-in-your- 
neighbor  in  place  of  selfishness.  *  God  gives  you  Honest 
Ways  to  replace  all  trickery.  ^ 

You  rise  above  the  plane,  and  law,  of  cause  and 
effect.  ^  You  dismiss  from  your  mind  all  sense  of 
injury.  **  Mortal  man  is  nothing  to  you.  **  Wrong- 
doing on  his  part  cannot  make  you  suffer.  **  The  Spirit 
rights  all  wrongs.  ^  You  do  the  right  thing  by  your 
fellow-man.  **  No  one's  curse  or  hatred  can  keep  you 
from  your  own.  **  You  look  not  to  man  ^  for  your 
support.  **  God  is  your  sufficiency  **  and  the  source  of 


72  PROSPERITY 


all  your  riches.  *  God  is  for  you  *  what  can  man  do 
against  you?  ^ 

You  live  in  a  world  of  freedom  *  and  you  give 
everybody  and  everything  freedom.  **  You  give  money 
freedom.  *  You  do  not  clutch  money.  **  You  let  go 
and  trust.  *  "Stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the 
Lord!"  « 

You  go  to  your  happiest  work.  **  By  the  Spirit 
within,  you  find  your  place.  **  Your  Genius  goes  before 
you  *  and  makes  channels  to  express  itself.  * 

Angels  of  prosperity  surround  you.  **  Angels  of 
prosperity  work  for  you.  *  Everything  you  put  your 
hand  to,  prospers.  ^ 

You  are  now  opening  the  Way,  ^  by  which  your 
riches  can  take  tangible  forms  in  your  world.  ** 

Prosperity  seeks  you,  *  and  must  find  you.  *  You 
are  in  its  Way  *  and  it  cannot  miss  you.  * 

You  bear  witness  to  the  presence  of  prosperity,  ** 
by  your  carriage,  *  you  hold  your  head  up;  **  by  your 
poise,  r*  your  back  is  not  bowed;  by  your  courage  ^  you 
put  your  best  foot  forward.  ^ 

You  are  in  the  Current  of  Prosperity.  ^  All  things 
in  your  affairs  move  smoothly,  with  the  Current.  **  And 
your  heart  is  at  rest,  *  for  your  prosperity  is  sure.  ^ 

ABIDE  IN  PEACE. 


IX. 
The  Home  Refurnished 

The  home  is  the  bulwark  of  the  nation,  and  any- 
thing that  builds  up  the  home  and  contributes  to  its 
ideals,  strengthens  the  race,  both  within  and  without. 
For  the  home  is  also  the  place  to  picture  forth  heaven, 
and  often  it  is  the  training-school  for  wild,  crude  mor- 
tality wherein  it  learns  the  joys  of  peace,  order  and 
loving  service,  a  preparation  for  heaven  here  on  the  earth. 

Each  home  that  is  consecrated  to  this  ministry  of 
the  Christ  message  and  healing,  becomes  an  example  of 
purity  and  harmony  to  those  seeking  heaven  on  the 
earth.  Perhaps  your  ministry  cannot  yet  be  an  open 
one,  but  it  can  do  a  silent  work  by  its  hospitality,  com- 
fort, restfulness  and  love.  The  very  walls  can  sing  of 
goodness  and  truth.  The  common  furniture  can  caress 
us,  the  homely  fare  can  give  us  sweetest  satisfaction. 

Fill  your  home  with  blessing.  Remove  every  sug- 
gestion of  discontent.  If  there  is  a  room  that  savours  of 
selfishness,  or  of  impurity,  or  of  deadness,  in  its  mental 
atmosphere,  heal  it.  You  can  do  it  by  a  half-hour  of 
silence  in  it  each  day,  in  which  you  meditate  upon  the 
omnipresence  of  heaven,  declaring  for  some  special  ex- 
pression of  heaven,  centering  there. 

The  richness  of-  your  spirit  must  enter  the  place 
where  you  reside,  even  though  it  be  a  cellar  or  a  hall 
bed-room,  and  permeate  it.  The  ease  and  comfort  of  a 
rich  consciousness  must  radiate  from  your  personality. 


74  PEOSPERITY 


For  riches  draw  riches,  and  prosperity  gravitates  to  the 
things  and  the  people  that  are  like  it,  especially  when 
backed  by  principle.  There  are  people  who  look  pros- 
perous, and  yet,  are  undermining  themselves  by  a  false 
state  of  mind ;  and  there  are  people  who  are  rich  but  do 
not  look  prosperous,  and  they  are  missing  some  of  the 
good  things  that  belong  to  them. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  appears,  when  there  is  a 
perfect  harmony  and  unity  between  the  without  and  the 
within. 

In  proving  God  to  be  the  health  of  your  circum- 
stances, see  to  it  that  your  home  does  not  contradict 
your  faith.  There  is  a  great  law  fulfilled  in  "putting 
one's  best  foot  forward."  Business  men  know  that  it  is 
a  good  investment,  for  the  later  success  of  their  projects, 
to  have  a  good  office,  well  furnished.  The  habit  of  be- 
ginning with  poor  equipment  makes  new  enterprises  long 
and  slow  in  reaching  success. 

When  an  instrument  is  tuned  too  low — like  a  harp, 
violin  or  guitar — then  one  string  is  raised  to  a  proper 
pitch  and  the  rest  keyed  up  to  it.  Sometimes  one  can 
raise  the  whole  vibration  of  a  house,  and  the  household, 
by  introducing  some  rich,  up-to-date  feature,  and  then 
keying  all  the  rest  of  the  establishment  up  to  that  vibra- 
tion, even  though  many  days  go  by  before  it  is  finished. 

Act  wealthy,  talk  prosperously.  Be  a  free  avenue 
through  which  riches  may  pass  to  all.  The  world  needs 
to  learn  the  spiritual  science  of  wealth,  and  your  home 
can  be  a  class  room. 

TREATMENT  III.     BLESS,  PRAISE,  GIVE   THANKS. 

Meditation.  There  is  no  greater  prospering  power 
than  the  word  of  Blessing,  of  genuine  praise  and  of 
thanks  from  the  heart- — especially  towards  those  people, 
and  about  those  things  and  events,  that  have  seemed  to 
curse  us. 

As  these  utterances  must  not  be  merely   from  the 


PROSPERITY  75 


lips,  it  will  require  skill,  discernment,  inspiration  and 
a  prophetic  sense  to  find  that,  which  one  can  praise  in 
our  enemies,  be  thankful  for  in  misfortune  and  bless  in 
treachery.  And  the  very  exercise  itself  will  enrich  one, 
like  the  sons,  in  the  fable,  of  the  wise  old  father,  who 
had  four  lazy  sons,  and  in  dying,  told  them  that  he  had 
nothing  to  leave  them  but  a  field.  But  in  that  field  was 
buried  a  treasure.  So  when  he  died  they  vigorously  dug 
up  that  field.  But  they  found  no  treasure.  The  next 
crops,  however,  that  grew  in  that  ground  yielded  four 
times  the  ordinary  crop,  and  then  the  sons  knew  that 
the  treasure  in  the  field  was  what  they  had  put  into  it — 
their  own  energy  and  faith. 

Practice  skill  and  discernment  in  finding  the  good 
in  the  people  who  have  injured  you,  and  the  failures 
that  have  burdened  you.  Let  the  Spirit  inspire  your 
thanksgiving  and  open  your  prophetic  sense,  to  see  the 
blessing  that  is  coming  out  of  it  all.  The  exercise  is 
enriching,  both  spiritually  and  materially. 


Listen  to  the  Divine  Voice  within  you.  *  It  guides 
you.  It  cheers  you.  *  It  shows  you  the  Way  of  righteous- 
ness *  and  eternal  prosperity.  * 

The  divine  approval  overshadows  you  **  and  pro- 
tects you.  ^  Your  heavenly  Father  awaits  lovingly  your 
return  ^  to  the  spiritual  life  and  its  ways  ^  and  runs  to 
meet  you,  saying,  ^  Thou  art  my  beloved  **  in  whom  I 
am  well-pleased.  ^ 

"The  blessing  of  the  Lord  *  it  maketh  rich."  *  The 
Lord  in  you  **  blesses  your  whole  world  ^  and  the  act 
enriches  you.  **  You  give  your  heart  and  mind  *  to 
blessing  everybody  and  everything.  ^ 

You  bless  them  that  curse  you.  **  You  do  good  to 
them  that  hate  you.  *  You  know  no  rivals.  **  You 
have  no  competition.  *  All  that  is  done  against  you, 
helps  you.  ^ 


76  PEOSPEEITY 


Your  destiny  is  to  know  *  the  secret  of  prosperity.  * 
You  cannot  fail.  **  Your  success  is  decreed  ^  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  ** 

The  Spirit  opens  your  eyes  **  to  see  the  Way  of  it.  * 
There  is  a  straight  line  ^  between  you  and  the  next  suc- 
cessful step,  **  and  you  go  forward  upon  it.  * 

Fear  passes  utterly  away.  **  You  are  calm  and 
trusting.  ^  Your  confidence  inspires  confidence.  ** 

You  lay  up  treasures  in  heaven.  ^  You  do  good 
and  forget  it.  ^  You  give  freely  your  tenth — your  tithe.^ 
And  you  reap  an  hundred  fold.  ^  "Bring  ye  all  the 
tithes  into  the  storehouse  ^  that  there  may  be  meat  [sub- 
stance] in  mine  house,  ^  and  prove  me  now,  herewith  * 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts  ^  if  I  will  not  open  you  the 
windows  of  heaven  ^  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing,  ** 
that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it/'  ^ 

No  anger  can  undermine  you.  **  No  envy  can  cor- 
rode your  affairs.  ^  No  selfishness  can  rust  you.  **  No 
greed  can  overload  you.  ^  You  are  God's  free  instru- 
.ment  of  distribution.  ** 

Riches  flow  to  you  *  and  through  you  to  bless  all 
the  world.  *  You  freely  receive  and  you  freely  give.  ** 
No  foolish  accumulation  burdens  you.  ^  No  loss  dis- 
turbs you.  ^ 

You  bring  faith  into  the  storehouse  of  Plenty.  ^ 
You  bring  love  into  the  storehouse  of  Opulence.  **  You 
bring  knowledge  into  the  storehouse  of  Abundance.  ^ 
You  bring  goodness  into  the  storehouse  of  all  your  Pros- 
perity. **  And  they  return  to  you  in  all  the  world's 
forms  of  wealth  ^  unlimited,  unceasing,  full,  perfect  and 
free.  ** 

REST  IN  DIVINE  BOUNTY. 


X. 
Our  Unlimited  Capacity 

Contentment  is  one  of  the  richest  jewels  that  a  home 
can  have,  and  when  its  foundation  is  knowledge  of  Truth, 
it  abides  forever,  and  becomes  a  powerful  magnet,  to 
draw  to  itself,  the  best  in  people  and  in  things. 

When  contentment  is  mated  with  poverty,  there  is 
usually  some  false  reason  at  the  root  of  the  matter.  Some- 
times it  is  a  yielding  to  circumstances  as  inevitable — a 
kind  of  fatalism,  but  oftener  it  takes  its  rise  from  the 
religious  training,  especially  the  doctrine  that  Christianity 
and  poverty  are  logical  associates,  and  that  the  Greatest 
of  all  the  Christians,  himself,  was  poor,  having  "no  place 
to  lay  his  head.'' 

We  know  now  that  we  cannot  call  Jesus  Christ 
poor,  any  more  than  we  can  think  of  the  king  of  Eng- 
land as  poor,  simply  because  he  has  no  money  in  his 
pocket.  Jesus  had  command  of  forces,  that  could  have 
made  him  a  Croesus  in  a  moment,  but  he  would  not  be 
cumbered  with  property. 

If  one  chooses  to  go  without,  all  right.  But  to  be 
forced  to  go  without,  and  even  to  be  in  debt,  is  not  a 
free  state  and  therefore  not  true  Christianity.  For  has 
not  the  Christ  said,  "Ye  shall  know  the  Truth  and  the 
Truth  shall  make  you  free?" 

The  old  preaching  from  the  pulpit,  that  one  cannot 
expect  to  be  rich  in  this  life,  was  often  from  a  certain 
text,  as  a  favorite  quotation  from  which  to  expound  the.-e 
views.  It  is  found  in  Hebrews  13:5,  and  according  to 


78  PROSPERITY 


the  old  King  James  Version,  it  reads :  "And  be  ye 
content  with  such  things  as  ye  have."  But  according  to 
a  learned  prelate  of  the  Church  of  England,  the  transla- 
tion should  read :  "Be  ye  conscious,  that  ye  have  con- 
tained within  yourselves  all  capacity  "  which  version  is 
more  in  keeping  with  the  context,  "For  he  hath  said,  I 
will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee,  so  that  we  may 
boldly  say,  The  Lord  is  my  helper,  and  I  will  not  fear 
what  man  shall  do  unto  me." 

"Contentment,"  "contain"  and  "contents"  are  all  of 
the  same  family  of  words.  Our  true  Contentment  is 
ability  to  contain  all  the  blessings  that  the  good  God 
shall  pour  out  upon  us. 

The  story  of  Elisha'' s  increasing  the  w.idow's  pot  of 
oil,  is  illustrative  of  the  point  that  Paul  was  teaching, 
concerning  our  capacity.  There  was  a  widow,  who  ap- 
pealed to  Elisha  to  save  her  two  sons  from  being  sold 
for  debt,  that  is,  becoming  slaves  in  order  to  pay  a  debt. 
Elisha  asked  her  what  she  had  in  the  house,  and  she 
answered  "Nothing  but  a  pot  of  oil."  Then  he  told  her 
to  go  and  borrow  all  the  vessels  she  could  from  her  neigh- 
bors. "Borrow  not  a  few,"  was  his  instruction.  And  then 
she  was  to  pour  oil  from  that  little  pot  of  oil,  until  all 
were  filled.  She  procured  all  that  she  could,  and  the 
oil  increased  until  the  last  vessel  was  full,  and  then  "the 
oil  stayed."  "Then  she  came  and  told  the  man  of  God. 
And  he  said,  Go,  sell  the  oil,  and  pay  thy  debt  and  live 
thou  and  thy  children  of  the  rest." 

Here  was  an  instance  of  a  woman,  enriched  by  the 
law  of  God,  to  the  exent  of  her  receptive  capacity,  which 
was  limited.  Paul  reminds  us  that  our  capacity  is  un- 
limited, and  we  must  be  conscious  of  it. 

Let  us  practice  removing  every  limitation,  which  we 
have  been  prone  to  put  upon  ourselves,  either  as  to  re- 
ceiving or  disbursing.  We  do  not  need  to  depend  upon 
our  neighbors  for  our  increase,  the  Lord  within  us  is  our 
support,  who  shall  limit  us  ? 


I 


PEOSPEKITY  79 


TREATMENT  IV.     "MY  CUP  RUNNETH  OVER." 

Meditation.  In  the  temporal  prosperity  which  comes 
from  worldly  methods,  it  is  considered  good  judgment 
to  gauge  the  amount  of  one's  spending  by  the  extent  of 
one's  income ;  and  that  is  good  sense,  when  one  has  a 
material  basis  of  prosperity. 

But  the  spiritual  law  is  stated,  "With  what  measure 
ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  unto  you."  "Give,  and  it 
shall  be  given  unto  you."  In  other  words,  learn  to  spend. 
Not  recklessly,  nor  in  a  meaningless  way,  but  with  the 
wisdom  of  one  who  is  being  educated  to  disseminate 
riches  like  seed,  breaking  down  fear  and  sense  of  limita- 
tion, and  cultivating  faith  and  consciousness  of  the  all- 
capacity  in  one. 

To  illustrate,  one  may  start  out  to  buy  a  garment 
for  $20,  but  finds  one  just  suitable  for  $25.  In  the 
old  way  of  thinking  the  extra  $5  would  debar  that  gar- 
ment from  one,  although  the  money  might  lie  in  the 
purse.  If  then,  from  trust  in  the  Divine  Bounty,  the 
extra  amount  is  paid,  the  purchaser  will  not  be  lacking 
in  that  sum  of  $5,  but  on  the  contrary,  will  have  entered 
into  a  new  current  of  receptivity,  and,  if  alert,  will  be 
able  to  see  the  unexpected  increase,  when  it  comes,  in 
obedience  to  the  great  law. 

When  one  intends  to  make  a  gift  of  money,  accord- 
ing to  a  certain  amount,  and  then  mentally  lessens  it, 
he  is  lessening  his  own  receiving  capacity.  A  homely 
illustration  of  this  law  is  the  good  milch  cow,  that,  as 
long  as  all  she  has  to  give  is  taken  from  her,  keeps  up 
her  capacity  of  receiving,  but  if  her  milker,  in  a  foolish 
moment,  should  think  to  save  her  by  not  stripping  her 
milk,  she  would  give  him  that  much  less  next  time, 
even  though  he  milked  her  dry. 

Practice  distributing  freely  because  of  trust  in  your 
unlimited  Source  of  Supply. 


80  PROSPERITY 


Listen  to  me!  You  have  the  capacity  to  receive  all 
riches  ^  and  you  disburse  them  ^  by  inspiration  and 
wisdom.  **  It  is  nothing  to  you  how  mortals  feel  about 
the  times.  ^  You  are  not  under  the  law  of  limitation.  ** 
The  income  and  the  outgo  are  perfectly  balanced.  ** 
The  more  comes  in,  *  the  more  you  spend  ^  and  the 
more  you  spend  **  the  more  comes  in.  ^  The  more  you 
spend  the  more  comes  in.  ** 

You  gauge  your  own  capacity.  ^  No  one  can  limit 
you.  ^  You  enlarge  your  horizon  of  expenditure.*  ** 

The  best  is  none  too  good  for  you,  *  You  are  a 
prince  with  God.  ^  Our  Father  is  rich.  *  His  chil- 
dren are  a  credit  to  his  bounty.  ** 

You  find  no  fault.  **  You  make  no  complaint.  * 
You  never  whine.  *  You  blame  no  one.  **  You  are 
not  a  beggar.  *  You  are  not  a  dependent.  **  You  are 
cheery  and  free.  ^  You  are  courageous.  **  You  are  a 
magnet  to  draw  your  own.  ^  No  one  loses,  who  gives 
to  you.  *  Everyone  gains  by  prospering  you.  **  And 
they  know  it.  **  And  they  know  it.  ** 

You  live  in  the  realm  of  Love,  **  where  giving 
freely,**  and  receiving  graciously,  **  is  the  law.  **  - 

The  commercial  belief  cannot  influence  you ;  *  it 
cannot  use  you  or  bind  you.  *  You  do  your  best  at 
all  times.  *  You  give  yourself  to  the  Divinity  in  all.  * 
Your  work  calls  forth  rich  appreciation,  **  which  takes 
form  as  money,  ^  and  the  things  the  world  values.  * 

Make  channels  for  your  divine  prosperity.  ^  Make 
channels  for  Love  *  to  express  itself  through  you.  ^ 
Love  and  eternal  prosperity  are  one  *  and  they  are  yours 
now.  ** 


*Where  others  give  pennies,  you  give  nickels;  where  others 
give  nickels,  you  give  quarters;  where  others  give  quarters,  you 
give  dollars. 


PROSPERITY  81 


"Make  channels   for  the  streams  of  Love, 
Where  they  may  broadly  run ; 

And  Love  has  overflowing  streams, 
To  fill  them  every  one. 

For  we  must  share,  if  we  would  keep 

That  blessing  from  above. 
Ceasing  to  give,  we  cease  to  have, 

Such  is  the  law  of  Love." 


XI. 
The  Age  of  Miracles  Still  Here 

Magical  laws  are  to  be  found  in  the  realm  of  spiritual 
prosperity,  and  when  their  operations  are  not  viewed 
with  superstition,  or  as  miraculous,  in  the  sense  of  doing 
violence  to  natural  law,  they  will  be  more  frequently 
seen.  Moses  received  and  understood  these  laws,  both 
from  his  Egyptian  tutors,  the  soothsayers  and  magicians 
of  Pharaoh,  and  from  his  spiritual  Instructor,  great 
Jehovah. 

It  is  for  us  to  prove  that  our  supply  is  not  fixed  by 
the  Rule  of  Three,  but,  there  is  a  living  principle  back 
of  our  silver  and  our  gold,  that  is  one  with  God,  and 
to  touch  it,  is  to  open  a  way  by  which  our  material 
supply  will  increase,  as  seeds  will  sprout  if  the  right 
elements  are  brought  to  them. 

In  the  booklet,  The  Quiet  Hour,  by  S.  D.  Gordon, 
published  by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York  City, 
there  is  a  story  of  miraculous  increase,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  condensed  account.  It  is  called 


FINNISH  GOLD  STORY. 
"It  was  a  winter's  night  up  in  Stockholm.  The 
evening  meeting  was  over,  and  a  number  of  Christian 
friends  were  gathered  about  the  supper  table.  We  were 
talking  as  we  ate,  of  our  experiences  of  God's  goodness. 
One  lady  present  was  induced  to  tell  through  interpreta- 
tion, a  story  of  the  unusual  experience  of  a  friend  of  hers 
in  Finland. 


PROSPERITY  83 


It  was  about  a  woman  who  had  to  pay  an  unjust 
bill  for  lumber  used  in  building  a  little  chapel.  She 
hadn't  money  enough;  all  efforts  to  get  more  failed; 
legal  action  threatened ;  then  during  prayer  the  money 
in  her  little  treasure  box  increased  in  amount  until  there 
was  enough  to  pay  the  claim.  That  is  the  bones  of  the 
story. 

It  quite  startled  every  one  who  heard  it.  Such  a 
thing  was  unheard  of  in  modern  times.  And  doubt  was 
freely  expressed  by  some  of  the  most  earnest  and  thought- 
ful ones  present.  The  doubt  was  not  of  God's  power  to 
do  such  a  thing,  but  of  the  accuracy  of  the  story.  The 
woman  in  her  excitement  must  have  made  a  mistake. 
Some  friend  was  secretly  helping,  it  was  thought.  Was 
she  used  to  counting  money?  Was  the  box  locked  up 
so  that  no  one  else  could  get  access  to  it?  She  was 
probably  a  good  woman,  but  rather  excitable.  So  ques- 
tion and  comment  ran. 

As  I  listened  to  the  story,  then  to  the  comments,  I 
though  that  if  it  were  true — and  our  friend  who  told  it 
to  us,  and  who  personally  knew  the  woman  in  it,  seemed 
quite  assured  herself  of  its  being  so — it  should  not  be 
told  until  it  could  be  thoroughly  verified,  but  that  if  it 
could  indeed  be  verified,  it  should  be  told,  and  told 
widely." 

Here  the  author  tells  of  how  he  and  his  wife  prayed, 
that,  if  the  story  were  true,  they  might  be  led  to  Fin- 
land and  meet  the  woman  and  speak  in  the  little  chapel. 
It  is  exceedingly  interesting  to  read  of  how  the  Spirit 
opened  the  way,  so  that  they  went  to  the  village  and 
were  with  the  woman  two  days,  having  an  excellent 
interpreter,  who  also  came  i-n  answrer  to  prayer. 

The  woman  is  the  postmistress  of  the  village,  or 
rather  railroad  junction,  a  very  important  post  which 
she  has  occupied  over  twenty  years.  It  is  a  position  of 
great  responsibility,  as  there  are  no  banks  in  Finland 


84  PROSPERITY 

and  much  money  passes  through  the  mails.  Something 
like  $800,000  passed  through  her  hands  some  years. 

"Her  books  were  as  carefully  kept  as  any  bank 
account  books  I  have  ever  examined  in  my  earlier  bank- 
ing days ;  not  only  with  painstaking  accuracy,  but  with 
neatness  of  a  skilled  accountant.  This  seems  sufficient 
answer  to  the  comments  I  heard  when  the  story  was  told 
in  Stockholm." 

There  wras  need  of  a  chapel,  and  the  woman,  a 
quiet,  unassuming  body,  undertook  to  lead  and  be  re- 
sponsible for  its  building.  Free-will  offerings  consti- 
tuted the  supply.  While  the  building  wras  going  on, 
there  came  a  bill  for  lumber,  which  had  been  bought  and 
received.  But  the  charge  was  larger  than  it  should  have 
been.  With  the  bill  came  a  peremptory  demand  for 
immediate  payment  of  the  money,  $150,  threatening  legal 
proceedings.  It  is  customary  in  Finland  to  provide  long 
credit,  and  the  chapel  funds  were  not  equal  to  that  pay- 
ment. The  people  were  poor,  and  there  had  been  much 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  Church  people  to  the  chapel 
being  built. 

She  made  every  effort  to  get  the  money,  but  it  was 
all  fruitless.  The  final  time  of  payment  drew  near.  She 
made  one  last  journey  to  a  near-by  town.  "The  man 
she  hoped  to  see  was  abroad;  his  wife  thought  she  ought 
not  to  have  begun  building  till  she  had  the  money." 

On  her  way  back,  as  she  was  in  prayer,  a  thought 
came  to  her  that  had  been  coming,  more  or  less,  all 
through  this  trial.  It  was  of  how  Jesus  increased  the 
loaves  and  fishes.  She  thought,  "God  can  touch  my 
slender  chapel  funds  and  do  as  in  the  desert,  make  them 
sufficient  for  the  need." 

"On  her  return  home,  as  soon  as  she  could  get  time 
from  her  work,  she  wrent  to  the  drawer  to  get  the  little 
box  where  the  chapel  funds  were  kept.  She  had  counted 
the  money  before  that  last  journey  and  she  found  she 
had  just  $70  (350  marks  in  Finnish  money)."  She  had 


PROSPERITY  85 


$18  of  her  own.  She  was  all  alone,  and  she  poured  the 
money  on  the  table  and  put  her  own  meager  store  with 
it,  and  covering  it  with  her  hands,  prayed  in  simple  child- 
like language : 

"Lord  Jesus  bless  Thy  money  as  Thou  dist  bless 
the  loaves  in  the  wilderness.  I  will  put  my  loaves  too 
in  Thy  hands,  and  do  Thou  let  them,  with  Thine,  meet 
this  need ;  let  this  money  cover  the  amount  of  this  bill." 

Then  she  counted  the  money,  and  it  was  exactly 
751  marks  ($150)  and  she  noticed  there  was  now  much 
gold,  though  there  had  not  been  much  gold  in  the  box. 

She  sent  word  to  the  collector  that  he  could  come 
for  the  money.  Before  he  arrived  she  again  spread  the 
money  out  to  count  it,  this  time  feeling  an  impulse  to 
take  out  her  own  little  store  of  90  marks  ($18)  and 
the  remainder  amounted  again  to  the  751  marks  ($150). 
With  a  heart  overflowing  with  thanksgiving  she  awaited 
the  collector. 

When  he  came  she  told  him  her  wonderful  experi- 
ence, and  he  was  much  moved.  As  the  money  was 
counted  again  before  him,  there  were  a  few  silver  coins 
over,  and  the  bill  was  duly  paid,  and  the  officer  gave  her 
the  receipt. 

The  author  goes  into  many  details,  to  show  the  un- 
mistakable character  of  the  wonder-work,  and  gives  it 
as  a  message  from  the  prayer-answering  God. 

The  law  that  was  fulfilled  in  this  increase,  can  be 
known  with  the  same  exactness,  with  which  \ve  under- 
stand the  laws  of  the  telephone ;  and  scientific  men  are 
preparing  to  study  these  laws,  with  the  same  zeal  and 
profound  passion  of  the  devoted  astronomers,  who  have 
sought  out,  and  found  the  laws  of  the  planets. 

TREATMENT  V.  GODLINESS,  THE  SUBSTANCE  OF  RICHES 

Meditation.  "He  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the 
rivers  of  water,  that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  sea- 


86  PEOSPERITY 


son  ;  his  leaf  also  shall  not  wither  ;  and  whatosever  he 
doeth  shall  prosper"  (Ps.  1:3).  Thus  is  the  godly  man 
described  a*s  to  his  good  fortune. 

There  are  certain  of  us,  who  did  not  come  into  this 
existence  "with  a  silver  spoon  in  our  mouths."  It  seems 
to  us,  that  all  our  goodness  has  been  fruitless,  that  fate 
is  against  us,  and  that  there  is  no  use  trying. 

If  we  have  started  this  life  like  bankrupt  men,  then 
there  must  be  the  more  resolution  and  determination,  and 
a  courage  that  knows  no  defeat. 

The  law  of  Christ,  like  the  laws  of  bankruptcy,  re- 
moves the  past  burdens  and  debts  that  destiny  (or  karma) 
may  have  loaded  upon  our  infant  shoulders.  No  matter 
what  bad  luck  may  have  seemed  to  be  ours  from  birth, 
this  day  we  come  under  the  law  of  our  Christ-self,  and 
believe  in  the  God-promise  that  our  Goodness  shall  take 
tangible  form,  here  and  now. 

Exercise  a  patience,  that  is  one  with  Absolute  Trust, 
and  never,  even  in  the  secret  of  your  own  chamber,  ac- 
knowledge the  slowness  or  the  failure,  as  real  or  lasting. 

The  treasures  that  you  have  laid  up  in  heaven  — 
the  within  —  are  destined  to  take  form  as  the  treasures 
of  earth.  With  most  people,  they  do  not  appear  until 
another  incarnation,  when  they  are  said  "to  be  born  with 
a  silver  spoon  in  their  mouth."  You  do  not  need  to 
wait  for  another  incarnation,  but  your  goodness  of  today 
can  be  expressed  here  and  now,  in  this  incarnation,  as 
overflowing  plenteousness  of  the  world's  goods. 


Listen  to  me,  O!  Offspring  of  pure  Goodness!  * 
You  know  how  to  bring  forth  into  this  world  all  the 
goodness  there  is  in  you.  **  The  Spirit  instructs  you  * 
in  what  ways  to  express  your  Love.  *  It  takes  universal 
form,  overflowing  to  all.  **  Your  magnetic  quality  is 
irresistible.  ^  Humanity  loves  to  bask  in  the  sunshine 


PROSPERITY 


of  your  presence.  **  Its  value  is  high.  ^  There  is  a 
market  for  it  everywhere.  ^* 

Your  Goodness  overflows  in  generous  service  to  all.9* 
Your  Goodness  draws  forth  Goodness.  *  Your  talent  is 
uncovered  and  appreciated  with  financial  expressions.  ** 
Your  ingenuity  and  power  of  invention  come  to  the  fore.9* 
You  are  invaluable  to  humanity.  ** 

Your  Goodness  makes  others  feel  good.  **  Your 
generosity  makes  others  generous.  ^  You  are  a  seed  in 
the  soil  of  Richness,  ^  drawing  whatever  prospers  you, 
to  yourself.  **  You  flourish  like  the  lilies  of  the  field  * 
without  care  or  fear,  *  without  anxiety  or  hard  work.9* 
You  are  a  law  unto  yourself.9*  You  are  independent  of 
man-made  laws,  *  of  personalities,  of  corporations  and  of 
systems.  **  These  serve  you  and  bless  you,  but  cannot 
enslave  you.  ^*  You  look  to  One  only  as  the  source  of 
your  Prosperity.  ** 

You  are  self-made,  **  made  by  the  One  Self — Creator 
of  all.  ^*  You  are  not  vain-glorious,  **  no  mortal  pride 
can  trip  you  up  ^*  no  mistake  of  the  past  can  keep  you 
down.  **  No  foolish  pride  can  keep  you  from  your  own.  ** 
You  have  Self-respect,  not  pride  ^*  and  you  hold  your 
head  up,  **  and  keep  your  back  straight,  ^*  and  your  step 
firm.  ** 

Nothing  can  discourage  you.  **  The  wrong-doings 
of  others  cannot  make  you  bitter.  **  The  successes  of 
others  cannot  make  you  envious.  **  You  radiate  the 
Goodness  of  God.  * 

You  are  an  ever-flowing  fountain  of  resourceful- 
ness. **  You  are  in  connection  with  the  Fountain-Head 
on  High.9*  You  are  the  power  of  God,9*  to  translate 
divine,  invisible  substance,  **  into  tangible,  visible  forms.9* 

Your  faith  is  unlimited  **  because  it  is  based  on 
reason  and  knowledge.9*  You  can  do  all  things  by  the 
God-power  in  you.  ^*  Divine  Wisdom  guides  you,  ^*  yon 
are  kept  from  folly.  ^*  You  do  not  waste  yourself,  your 


88  PROSPERITY 


time,  your  substance  or  your  life.  ^  Good  judgment  at- 
tends you  ever.  *  Divine  Intelligence  keeps  you  from 
foolish  ways  and  foolish  things.  **  Inspiration  lifts  you 
out  of  all  entanglements  *  and  sets  your  feet  firm  in  Wis- 
dom's Ways. 

Your  gentle  goodness  cannot  be  preyed  upon.  ^  It 
is  one  with  the  Lamb  of  God  **  and  no  wolf  of  commer- 
cial greed  can  seize  you.  *  The  folly  of  others  cannot 
deceive  you.  *  Deceitful  words  and  deeds  cannot  move 
you.  ^  You  cannot  be  ensnared  by  greed  or  ignorance.  * 
No  one's  craftiness  can  beguile  you.  ^  You  are  true  to 
yourself,  and  your  trueness  defends  you.  * 

The  Goodness  of  God  fills  your  whole  life.  *  Good- 
ness fills  and  covers  all  that  is  yours.  **  All  that  you  put 
your  hand  to,  prospers.  *  All  that  you  touch  turns  to 
riches.  ^  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  you  ** 
all  the  days  of  your  life  ^  and  you  shall  dwell  *  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  forever.  ** 

IT  IS  ESTABLISHED. 


XII. 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  Business  Man 

On  the  matter  of  business,  Jesus  Christ  gave  many 
directions  and  much  teaching.  For  Jesus  Christ  was 
very  practical,  coming  to  a  people  that  were  masters  of 
finance,  many  of  them,  yet  missing  the  main  thing;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  eagerly  zealous  in  righteousness  and 
good  works,  but  making  a  failure  financially.  He  taught 
the  Way  that  is  One,  for  both  these  extremes. 

He  knew  there  was  but  one  business  for  everybody, 
who  had  come  to  this  earth — -his  heavenly  Father's  busi- 
ness, i.  e.,  to  bear  witness  to  the  Truth,  prove  oneself  im- 
mortal and  divine,  and  make  heaven  on  earth  for  one's 
neighbor.  He  made  his  disciples  successful  fishermen, 
and  then  said,  "Come,  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men." 
So  now,  Jesus  Christ  in  you  will  make  you  a  success 
where  you  are,  and  at  the  same  time  call  you  to  gather 
men  and  women  into  the  Kingdom. 

"I  will  make  you  builders  of  men's  character  and 
health  and  happiness,"  he  says  to  the  carpenters  and  con- 
tractors and  others  who  are  constructing. 

"I  will  make  you  promoters  of  men's  spiritual  na- 
ture," he  says  to  those  who  are  developing  business,  and 
earth's  products. 

"I  will  make  you  feeders  of  men's  souls,  and  cloth- 
iers that  bring  forth  bodies  worthy  of  God's  children." 

"I  will  make  you  bankers  of  men,  laying  up  saved 
men  as  gold." 


90  PKOSPEKITY 


What  greater  work  can  be  done  for  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,  than  making  a  success  in  the  business  life,  and 
proving  to  men  that  you  did  it  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  within  you ! 

You  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon  at  the  same 
time.  You  have  proven  it.  You  cannot  give  your  w;hole 
heart  to  mammon.  You  have  a  Conscience  that  no  man 
can  kill,  either  in  you,  or  in  himself.  He  may  drug  it 
with  sophistries  for  years,  and  even  think  he  has  no  Con- 
science ;  but  he  will  find  his  mistake.  For  Conscience  is 
simply  one's  knowing,  the  exercise  of  one's  Supreme  In- 
telligence, and  it  will  not  down.  It  is  immortal. 

People  grow  rich  with  a  quasi  worship  of  mammon. 
They  do  unscrupulous  things  for  a  long  time,  and 
think  they  can  bluff  their  great  Soul-Self.  But  they  only 
fool  themselve^.  Their  wealth  is  as  sand  and  ashes  in 
their  mouth.  Something  has  been  missed. 

Better  to  be  a  lamb,  thrown  from  one  \volfs  maw  to 
another,  imposed  upon,  fleeced  again  and  again,  than  to 
win  riches  at  the  expense  of  that  tender,  holy,  rich  love- 
nature,  that  eventuates  in  the  Eternal  Joy  wrhich  is  inde- 
pendent of  time  and  space. 

But  it  is  possible  to  keep  the  Lamb-quality,  and  re- 
ceive all  the  powers  and  substance  that  are  now  owned 
and  exploited  by  the  wolves.  Jesus  Christ  has  given  the 
Way  and  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  one  may  gather  together  all 
his  teachings  about  prosperity,  and  the  records  of  his 
deeds,  which  especially  relate  to  the  way  to  succeed,  and 
use  this  masterly  key  into  the  Kingdom  of  Eternal 
Wealth. 

Jesus  did  not  despise  either  money  or  business.  He 
appointed  a  treasurer  for  the  disciples,  in  Judas.  He 
taught  them  to  "gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain, 
that  nothing  be  lost,"  he  taught  them  not  to  be  slack. 

But  he  inculcated  a  ne\v  value  sense.  He  told  the 
money-loving  Pharisees,  that  "  that  which  is  highly  es- 


PROSPERITY  91 


teemed  among  men  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God." 
''For  what  is  a  man  advantaged  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  himself?''  he  said.  Like  another  Alex- 
ander, who  at  the  age  of  thirty  had  conquered  the  whole 
world,  and  yet  died  in  a  drunken  bout. 

He  paid  tribute  to  Caesar  and  to  the  synagogue, 
using  occult  laws  by  which  to  procure  the  money. 

But  the  plainest  teaching  of  all  was  when,  on  two 
occasions,  he  directed  his  disciples,  who  had  been  toiling 
all  night  at  their  fisheries  without  success,  just  where  to 
drop  their  nets,  so  as  to  make  hauls  that  would  soon,  if 
repeated  a  few  times,  make  a  man  rich. 

Jesus  did  not  hesitate  to  use  his  deeper  senses  to  pro- 
mote earthly  prosperity.  He  had  the  true  business  sense, 
which  comes  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  this  Master  stands 
in  your  heart  today,  and  if  you  will  hear  his  Voice  and 
be  guided. by  his  principles,  you  shall  be  the  fulfillment  of 
the  great  promises:  "Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord;  and 
he  shall  give  thee  the  desires  of  thine  heart,"  "they  that 
seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want  any  good  thing." 


TREATMENT  VI.  CHRIST  IN  ME,  MY  PROSPERING  POWER 

Listen  to  me!  The  Christ  in  you  is  your  clear  in- 
sight, *  your  true  business  sense,  **  and  your  inspired 
guidance  into  success.  ** 

You  are  in  business  to  save  the  world.  *  Your  in- 
tegrity pervades  your  whole  world.  *  It  directs  your  vis- 
ion to  the  region  of  richness.*  Jesus  Christ  in  you  su- 
perintends *  all  your  investments,  affairs  and  dealings.  * 

You  work  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  alone.  *  This 
is  your  first  concern.  *  You  are  enthusiastic  in  your  Way 
of  working.  *  The  Holy  Spirit  infuses  you  with  a  new 
imagination  about  your  affairs.  *  You  are  initiative.  * 
You  are  original.  *  You  find  new  ways  to  serve  human- 


92  PKOSI'KIMTY 


ity.  **  You  discover  the  wealth  producing  regions  of  the 
earth.  **  You  uncover  the  most  valuable  powers  in  human 
beings.  ^ 

You  save  other  men  in  their  business.  *  By  the 
Christ  in  you,  you  point  out  the  Way  they  can  be  pros- 
pered. **  You  give  freely  any  counsel  or  disc9very  that 
will  prosper  others.  **  No  commercialism  can  interfere 
with  your  inspiration.  **  The  Spirit  protects  you  from 
greed  and  imposition.  * 

Jesus  Christ  in  you  reveals  the  errors  to  be  removed,^ 
that  you  may  be  receptive  to  all  wealth.  **  You  put  your 
hand  to  the  Christ-plough,  *  and  you  do  not  look  back.  ^ 
You  banish  all  memory  of  losses.  **  You  do  not  meditate 
upon  losses  of  any  kind.  ^  You  spend  no  time  in  griev- 
ing. *  You  deliberately  forget  all  mistakes — your  own  ^ 
as  well  as  others'.  ^  You  give  all  appearances  of  weak- 
ness, poor  judgment,  vices,  ignorance,  folly  and  ill-luck 
into  the  care  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  ^ 

You  practice  the  presence  of  God.  **  You  remem- 
ber to  meditate  upon  the  godlike  thing  to  do.  **  You  do 
what  Jesus  Christ  would  do.  *  You  are  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  business  world.  *  You  preach  the  good  news  of  the 
Way  to  prosper  forever.  **  You  preach  silently,  by  your 
life,  by  your  methods,  by  your  character.  ** 

The  Inspired  ( )ne  in  you  uncovers  the  Secret  laws 
of  increase  and  transmutation.  **  You  have  the  holy 
Divining- Art.  *  You  know  the  way  to  find  gold  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  **  You  know  the  place  of  the  water- 
springs.  **  The  elements  yield  you  their  secrets.  **  Yon 
are  the  irresistible  conqueror  of  the  planet.  **  Everything 
yields  you  its  best,  by  the  Law  of  Love.  ^  You  are  the 
Lover  of  All,  **  and  draw  to  you  all  the  gifts  of  Love.  ^ 

You  sit  still  in  the  Christ-consciousness  **  and  all  the 
ends  of  the  earth  seek  you  **  to  serve  you  and  bless  you.  ** 
You  are  at  peace  with  all  *  and  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Richest  Being  in  the  universe  ^  centers  in  you  and  showers 
blessings  through  you  **  upon  the  whole  world.  ** 


I'KOSI'KK'ITY  93 


Serene  I  fold  my  hands  and  wait, 
Nor  care  for  wind,  or  tide,  or  sea ; 

I  rave  no  more  'gainst  time  or  fate, 
For  lo !  my  own  shall  come  to  me. 

The  wraters  know  their  own,  and  draw 
The  brook  that  springs  in  yonder  height ; 

So  flows  the  good,  with  equal  law 
Unto  the  soul  of  pure  delight. 

The  stars  come  nightly  to  the  sky, 

The  tidal  wave  unto  the  sea; 
Nor  time,  nor  space,  nor  deep,  nor  high. 

Can  keep  my  own  away  from  me. 


The  Master  Mind 


A  Monthly  Magazine  of  Absolute  Truth 
devoted  to  the  message  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  its  power  to  heal  and  make  heaven 
appear  on  the  earth.  &6  &g  &&  &g  &g 


ANNIE  RIX  MILITZ,  Editor 


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